


The Remnants of Earth: Volume I

by Rose_Bride



Series: The Remnants of Earth [2]
Category: RWBY, Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Fusion, Drama, Gen, RWBY au, With the characters from Yu-gi-Oh! Arc V
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-01
Updated: 2016-07-14
Packaged: 2018-04-07 04:27:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 19
Words: 85,667
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4249254
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rose_Bride/pseuds/Rose_Bride
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Everyone starts their own stories by making a decision, because of their goals, because of a dream, for a promise, maybe they are looking for something, maybe they want to prove themselves...Time will tell wether or not they will be able to live up to them.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> RWBY AU, with YGO Arc V characters (mostly).

_**"Legends. Stories scattered through time."** _

He stopped for a moment to adjust his glasses, and clear his throat, making sure to be discreet so his current "audience" wouldn't be disturbed.

It was a warm night, in the Akaba Manor, for people more accustomed to lower temperatures maybe unbearable, especially when trying to sleep; like the teen so intently reading in the middle of night, this however marked the beginning of summer and a day closer to the commencing of classes at Beacon Academy.

"…" He quickly resumed his story when he noticed the boy's stare, breaking him from his lull.

_**"** _ _**Mankind has grown quite fond of recounting the exploits of heroes and villains, forgetting so easily that we are remnants, byproducts, of a forgotten past."** _

He knew what verse came next. Honestly, he's known this particular tale from memory probably since he had been Reira's age. There was no real need to hold the book, but he liked having his hands occupied. He was no performer or storyteller; he wouldn't have known what to do with his empty hands otherwise. While he didn't particularly enjoy playing the part, he was willing to entertain his little brother for now.

It wasn't like he was going to get any sleep, anyway, if he retreated into his room.

_**"Man, born from dust, was strong, wise, and resourceful, but he was born into an unforgiving world."** _

He briefly wondered how long he could continue this sleepless routine before his parents or anyone started to notice his growing spacing-out, along with the dark circles around his eyes that were growing more pronounced and harder to conceal.

_**"An inevitable darkness — creatures of destruction — the creatures of Grimm - set their sights on man and all of his creations."** _

Clearly, the reason behind his lack of sleep was because he had yet to receive his acceptance letter. Maybe there were too many applicants this year; even as he tried to assure himself, he knew it was ridiculous. Of course there were too many applications; it was Beacon Academy, but he had never known they took so long to respond back to all the applicants. Then again, their applications and selection processes have never been made public, so he wasn't really sure what they were doing.

He didn't like it; he never liked it not knowing stuff. After submitting his application he had nothing to do but wait, and he did. It had been an exercise for anxiety, an emotion Reiji could say it was foreign to him. He didn't like the feeling. For days he tried (and failed) to keep it out of his head, but as the days transformed into weeks and now nearly a month, he couldn't help to repass everything he knew about Beacon, and all he had deemed worthy to input on his application. Maybe he had missed something? Unlikely. Either way, he wasn't worried about it; there was  _nothing_  to be worried about.

"Brother." Once again, he was snapped out from his thoughts. He briefly looked at Reira, and by his curious stare, rather than his intent one, realized that he must have paused for longer than needed, even for dramatic effect sake:

"I apologize, I'll continue now…"

"These forces clashed, and it seemed the darkness…"

"Brother."

This time, Reira's voice caught him off guard. He wasn't outspoken and he couldn't remember the last time where he would have interrupted Reiji on anything, least of all on something he expressively asked from him.

That's when he heard it; the constant beeping on his scroll, half-forgotten on the night's stand of Reira's room. Sleep deprivation must have really done a number on him to have missed it; he gently put down the book to check the message. It read:

"WE ARE PLEASED TO INFORM YOU THAT YOUR SUBMISSION TO ATTEND BEACON ACADEMY HAS BEEN APPROVED…"

That was the part that mattered; he was sure there was more to the message than this simple phrase, but for now he couldn't muster the interest or the energy to read every scope of information contained.

"Brother?"

For the first time in weeks he felt the drowsiness of sleep taking over him.

He felt a tiny hand tug at his sleeve. It was Reira, of course, and he was now sitting up on top of the covers having moved closer to him, no doubt curious as well. He closed the scroll before his keen eyes picked up the message; this could wait.

Right now he really needed to sleep. And so did Reira. He really didn't want his unhealthy habits rubbing off on him. But as he looked over to him he realized he was stealing glances to the book on the bed.

"Go back to bed, Reira." For a moment he looked downcast, until he opened the book, picking up where he left off.

Reiji was tired, the good kind for once, but tired nonetheless. Looking over to his little brother, once again tucked in the covers, he allowed himself a smile, still, he could indulge Reira for a little while.

_**"These forces clashed, and it seemed the darkness…"** _

 

_********* _

 

_**"…was intent on returning man's brief existence to the void."** _

A young lady with twin pigtails, allowed her ominous tone to sink in before continuing, while the other young man on the room, aided with a lamp made an elaborate shadow puppet show for the three children scurried together on the center of the dark room. He managed to make an incredible imitation of a Beowolf's roar.

_**"However, even the smallest spark of hope is enough to ignite change…"** _

She tried to communicate the now uplifting tone of the tale, trying very hard not to laugh at the silly figures on the wall. Yuya, no doubt, was trying to make the shadows look like people and not doing a very good job at it. Thankfully, the kids seemed to be buying his performance.

_**"…and in time, man's passion, resourcefulness, and ingenuity led them to the tools that would help even the odds."** _

Now if only Yuya wasn't trying to twist his hands on impossible angles in order to make a castle-like form with thunders surrounding it and making angry noises that sounded rather goofy. Ok,ok, she could continue now:

_**"This power was appropriately named** _ _**'Dust'.'"** _

She made an attempt at a grandeur gesture similarly to the picture images of the tiny men surrounding a gem-like figure, and she actually felt proud at managing it. Oh great, now he was holding the lamp to his face (to add to the drama she assumed). Unfortunately, where Yuya was gifted roaring like a beast, he wasn't so good at making non-funny gestures.

The mood was broken and while Ayu and Tatsuya tried to dissimulate their giggles, Futoshi was now holding his stomach, while trying and failing to stifle his; still she tried to get them back at the story.

_**"Nature's wrath in hand, man lit their way through the darkness, and in the shadow's absence came strength, civilization, and most importantly, life."** _

God help her, if Yuya didn't stop fooling around (he was now holding a ball and pretending to do lighting sounds which sounded more like whistles). She resisted the urge to throttle him and continued with the storytelling.

_**"But even the most brilliant lights eventually…"** _

Someone was really going to get hurt if he didn't stop (why was he dancing now?).

_**"…flicker and die. And when they are gone..."** _

She felt her eye twitch when he once again picked up the lamp and played with it like a staff. This whole setup was his idea in the first place!

**"…DARKNESS WILL RETURN!"**

The laughter finally died when seemingly out of nowhere a paper fan smacked Yuya from behind on his head. The lights went out (the lamp lied broken when it landed on the hard floor), but the kids didn't need the light to know Yuzu had finally had enough of Yuya's antics.

"Oi, Yuzu what was that for?" came Yuya's voice from (she assumed) the floor; the lights were still out so she couldn't know for sure.

"…I should be asking you that." She then proceeded to light up the room. Yuya had gotten up, and the kids had wisely left the room with hurried whispers about getting more snacks for everyone. "I don't remember the "World of Remnant" having dances and flashlight tricks on it!"

"I wasn't dancing! It was…a…one man show?" He seemed to deem it a good enough explanation as he continued to rub his head, pouting at her.

"Yuya! This was your idea, along with the sleepover…" She knew she was taking it out on him a bit too much. It was harmless goofing off, but she couldn't help herself. "If you wanted to make a fool of yourself so bad, you didn't have to drag me along."

"Come on Yuzu, I just wanted to lighten up the mood!" He smiled and then sighed. "Seriously, that tale is boring and gloomy anyway. Whoever thought it would make a good children's book should reconsider their career."

"Funny that you mentioned it, after all I'm pretty sure you loved it when we were Ayu, Tatsuya and Futoshi's age." She would have taken him more seriously if it wasn't for the fact that his own career chosen path origin was plastered in the book he had just insulted. "Or maybe you're just already thinking up excuses, you know in case you don't-"

"It's nothing like that!" Yuya's eyes were now hidden up with his goggles. That was never a good sign. She reached out to him.

"Yuya, I didn't…I'm sorry, that was uncalled for." Of course it was about that. After all, neither them nor Gongenzaka had been able to think of anything else for the past couple of weeks…until they got their letters. Yuya was the only one missing out his. "You'll get your letter soon, I'm sure of it. After all, you're the Shooting Star Yoko's son. If Beacon can't see that then…" even as she tried to comfort him, her own words sounded empty. After all, what did she know? She had gotten hers that very afternoon. It was the whole reason Yuya had the sleepover settled up: as a celebration for her. He didn't need empty promises; he needed a real reassurance. "They can suck it. If they can't value your accomplishments then I don't want to have anything to do with their lot anyway!" she huffed.

It hurt more than she thought to make such promise to him. This was her dream goal too, after all. But how much could she value it if she had to leave him behind? She immediately felt guilty for thinking so negatively. After all, Gongenzaka hadn't broke a sweat making the same promise to both of them when his letter arrived the past week.

"Yuzu, I could never ask you or Gongenzaka to do that." At least the goggles left his face, and he smiled. The smile only made Yuzu feel even worse for doubting her promise; for doubting him about not making it to Beacon.

"It's not a sacrifice, Yuya. We all said we'd go there together, remember? How could I be happy leaving you behind?" That's right; there was no way she could even begin to consider it. They could always apply next year…she hoped. For a fleeting moment it looked like Yuya wanted to protest, but he knew her too well to do that.

"Hey! Yuya, Yuzu!" Ayu's voice came from the kitchen. Before she could open her mouth, a burnt smell reached the rooms… damn it! The popcorn! Both reached the kitchen and were welcomed by three guilty looking boys and a burnt black …thing which was meant to be their snack for when Yuzu's dad arrived with the movies.

"I don't think I want to know what happened here…" came a deadpan voice from the door. A man wearing an orange and yellow tracksuit came into the house, looking exhausted. "Wait, is that…popcorn?"

"Well…it used to be," said Tatsuya, looking sheepish. All three kids had assembled behind Yuzu and Yuya, wondering what punishment would wait for them now. After all, they were told to watch after the kids.

"Yuzu! Is anybody hurt?" he asked. After her negative, he merely sighed and then flashed a huge smile. "Well! What you gonna do? This sort of behavior is to be expected from young kids…" he paused. "Not to mention a couple of huntress and huntsman in trainin-" He was smacked with Yuzu's fan before he could say anything else. Jeez, didn't her dad know it was still a sore subject to bring up in front of Yuya? Well, like father, like daughter, she supposed.

Instead of defending himself he merely held up his scroll…No wait it wasn't his; her dad would never let anything happen to it. This one looked worn out and scratched in several places. It was Yuya's.

Rather than wonder what he was doing with it (Yuya tended to lose sight of it often enough anyway), they all looked at the Beacon Academy emblem glowing on the screen.

"WE ARE PLEASED TO INFORM YOU THAT YOUR SUBMISSION TO ATTEND BEACON ACADEMY HAS BEEN APPROVED. IN THE NEXT FEW DAYS YOU WILL RECEIVE INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE DATE, TIME AND PLACE OF DEPARTURE FOR THE BEGINNING OF THE SCHOOL YEAR.

AS A REMINDER FOR OUR FIRST YEAR STUDENTS, HOUSING ACCOMMODATIONS WILL BE PROVIDED, SO MAKE SURE TO BRING ONLY NECESSARY ITEMS."

Nobody dared to break the silence for many minutes, by now the burnt smell almost faded away when…

"YUYA!" A roaring voice was heard from the front door, a voice everyone knew. The moment Ayu opened the door, a huge mass of body darted in his direction, and a pair of huge arms enveloped him in a hug.

She looked at her dad who was sheepishly scratching the back of his head and said. "I  _may_  have taken the liberty to text him on the way back…"

"I, the man Gongenzaka, could not be happier for you!" He roared while lifting Yuya from the floor. Somehow, he managed to cry tears of joy and still look completely dramatic and manly at the same time. "I knew my faith was not misplaced when the three of us promised to walk the same path!"

"Let…go," came Yuya's small, strangled voice. A thump was heard when he was deposited on the floor again, but as soon as he stood up, another mass of (thankfully) smaller bodies and arms came at him.

"Yuya!" The three kids wailed around him. "We are gonna miss you so much!" said Ayu, almost choking in tears. "But we are so happy for you!" said Futoshi, whose heavier body pressed his legs rendering him helpless against their onslaught

"All of us we'll be cheering for you…no the three of you when you leave," said Tatsuya, trying to hold back his tears.

"Make sure to live up to the good name of Signal Academy!" said Shuzou from behind. However, his "teacherly" mood was short-lived as he too broke into tears, hugging Yuzu.

"I can't believe I won't be seeing my favorite students anymore!" he wailed. "Not only that, but I will be deprived from my daughter's dazzling cuteness!"

"Dad…" attempted Yuzu, but she couldn't muster the energy as she too felt tears in her eyes. She hadn't realized how heavy her heart had been for all those weeks until the weight was finally lifted and replaced with an overwhelming feeling of relief.

******

_**"So you may prepare your guardians, build your monuments to a so-called** _ _**'free world',**  _ _ **but take heed... there will be no victory in strength."** _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well this is the start of my RWBY AU Project, I've actually been working on this for quite a while, hope you like it.
> 
> I want to thank AnimeGirl 144 (my beta reader) for the corrections and editing. You're awesome.


	2. 1.-Meetings and Farewells

**_Two Months Later_ **

**_Vale Skyport. 8:30 A.M._ **

People were finally beginning to arrive. Noticed a bulk man, maybe in his mid to late thirties, from a parked red sports car at the port's entrance and waited for a sign. He was going to wait for an order, anything from the teen in the backseat, but as he looked on the rear mirror, his bosses' son continued to look vacantly out the window, examining the people, probably.

Nakajima could never figure out why he had such compulsions. At first he assumed that the reason he asked to be brought an entire hour before the Beacon's airship arrival was to avoid the masses as usual. It made sense considering an Atlas's tabloid had already made an article about the "shocking" news:

"LEO AKABA HAS JUST MADE THIS PUBLIC: HIS ELDEST SON AND HEIR TO LEO CORPORATION, REIJI AKABA, WAS ADMITTED TO THE PRESTIGIOUS BEACON ACADEMY."

That's what the headline read; if only the article was a stub. It wasn't a big deal, in his opinion; it would have been expected, even. After all, it would be the first time in generations that a member of the Akaba family would take on such a career path, but of course the nosey reporter had taken her chance to write a sensationalist article, questioning not only the legitimacy of Reiji's admission, but also his loyalty to the family business, considering he bothered to file an admission to a school in another kingdom; never mind that Beacon was recognized as the best hunter's training academy around. At the very least, local news were bound to make an appearance if just out of formality and to give the new students a farewell. His mother had expressed concern at this and offered Reiji to send more bodyguards to avoid any scandals. Her son denied such measures and argued that the people from Vale couldn't care less for Leo's son making an appearance; this wasn't Atlas and he highly doubted Melissa Claire would bother traveling kingdoms just for a scoop, determined as she may be. As it turned out, Reiji was right. He had taken off his home yesterday and made himself familiar with the city, so far no one had tried to sneak photos of him or anything. Nakajima had made sure to let the madam know.

Reiji noticed most of the new students were accompanied by their families. Some of the families were helping their children carry their bags; other children could be seen being showered by farewells. He felt amusement at how some of children tried to ditch their families at the entrance, no doubt arguing that they didn't want to embarrass themselves to their future classmates; not that he could hear them, but their body language was obvious enough.

He wondered if walking in with a six and a half foot bodyguard wearing sunglasses on a foggy morning would call too much attention to himself; not that he was ever be ashamed of Nakajima, he just failed to be as inconspicuous as he would like him to be. He suppressed another chuckle as a couple of students were detained because they weren't allowed to have their weapons on display at an international skyport (nor in any skyport for that matter) and were forced by the guards to put them away before allowing them to enter. He looked at the hour: 8:45 A.M... A good time as any other, he guessed.

"Nakajima," he called.

"Sir?" he sounded relieved, but didn't voice his complaints; he would never do that.

"Grab the luggage and take them to the check-in office," he ordered. "I'll meet you at the boarding port when the ship arrives."

"Right away, sir," he immediately complied.

He took a breath and exited the car. After adjusting his glasses to the outer light, he walked to the entrance.

*****

"I told you," said Yuzu, looking at the still cranky Yuya.

"Tch, whatever." He couldn't believe he had already made an altercation with someone and he hadn't even put a foot on Beacon yet. It wasn't like he didn't know the boarding rules; after all Gongenzaka had made sure to recite it to him in tandem with Yuzu for the past few days. He just forgot. Luckily for him, the big guy had offered helping Shuzo with the bags (just after one the epic reprimanding stares from his own father) and told them to go ahead; otherwise he would never hear the end of it. Yuzu had been happy hearing those three words.

"Really Yuya?" Or maybe not. "I know you're nervous, but you need to be more careful."

"I'm not nervous; I'm tired, and I need a nap." Seriously, they had been woken up at five freaking A.M. by Gongenzaka and Yuzu yelling something about breakfast, he didn't even remember what he had eaten in between sleep intervals, as if it wasn't enough that both Yuzu and him insisted on making sure Yuya didn't oversleep by practically dragging him to his father dojo so they could make a schedule for the next day, it ended up with an improvised sleepover. How the heck did Gongenzaka manage to wake up at that hour every morning continued to puzzle him. They both were really a fearsome team.

"You can sleep all you want on the way to Beacon," said the girl. "But you couldn't even wave back at Ayu and Tatsuya, after they went to the trouble to see us off the island." According to them, they had tried and failed to wake up Futoshi. Yuzu could understand the feeling; she had her own sleepy head to take care off. "That was just rude."

"They saw us off?!" He seriously wondered if he had been sleepwalking at the time; he had absolutely no recollection of it. He had to make sure to send letters as soon as they arrived at Beacon. He would have loved to sleep on the flight from Patch to Vale, but Shuzo, filled with burning energy as usual, had insisted on a "morning exercise routine" (more like torture). He knew he was screwed as soon as Gongenzaka agreed to it, apparently worried to slack off on the flight. Damn it… He still felt his eyelids heavy…if he could just rest his eyes for a little bit…

Next thing he knew, he was shoved on the floor by some idiot.

"Would it kill you to look where you're going?" He didn't need to raise his head; the haughtiness that reached his ears was enough to realize that he wasn't going to get out of this easily.

"Sorry about that." He got off the floor and reached out to the stranger, hoping to not get another earful "I am Yuya Sakaki by the way, and you?" He looked to be about his age, taller than him for at least half-foot, and brown hair with a blond streak at the front, just as he imagined he looked like: the boythought Yuya should be bowing at him and kissing the ground where he stood.

"That would be Sawatari, to you," he said, taking his hand in his. Well, stuck up face aside, he looked friendly enough. "Do you happen to be here for the Beacon Academy Initiation?" He merely nodded, wondering where Yuzu had gone.

"Oh? Well I didn't think they would be admitting such common people into their ranks. Perhaps I shouldn't have applied here, if the likes of you can easily sneak in."

Ok, scratch that, this guy was a total jerk.

"You know, aren't you too scrawny to be an aspiring Huntsman? Beacon isn't your run-of-the-mill combat school; we are going to learn how to fight the monsters of Grimm."

That did it. Any other day he could have just brushed off such a remark, but right now he really wasn't in the mood. He was about to show him what he was made off when…

"What did you just call Signal Academy?!" Before he could make another quip about their school, he was smacked in the face. Not with a paper fan but with one of her handbags…That must have hurt. He almost felt sorry for the guy; almost.

Then again, it's not like he could have known. Nothing could escape her hearing on her immediate surroundings.

"Signal Academy?" He didn't miss a beat before adding. "Well, obviously manners are not something they teach over there. I stand by what I said, and no respectable school would let such common folk in them, let alone represent them at Beacon."

"Well the place you call a 'common folk school' happens to be where Yoko the Shooting Star graduated before attending to Beacon as well." said a feminine voice from behind them.

It was a dark-skinned girl, with black long hair and bangs at the front. Yuya had to admit she was very pretty, definitely something Futoshi would like to hear; also it was the first time someone mentioned that little detail about his mother. Sure, everyone knew she was a Beacon graduate, but not many bothered to know anything _before_ that.

"Really, Sawatari. Not only do I have to cope with you being my classmate, _again_." She paused to flip her hair and look down on Sawatari. "I have to deal with you badmouthing people before the beginning of the semester."

Sawatari actually had the decency to shut up, and looking bashful.

"You know about Yoko the Shooting Star?" He felt a little flustered. Talking about his mother always made him giddy. He held out his hand to the girl.

"Well, there's hardly any hunter in training who hasn't heard about her, and she's my hero," she commented, accepting his greeting and added, "And I know you, Yuya Sakaki. You're her son, correct?"

"Um...Yes." It was all he could muster to say. He probably looked like a tomato with how much he was flushing. Anyone who said such nice things about his mom, and could shut down stuck ups like Sawatari with one look had an instant seal of approval his book.

"Masumi Koutsu. Nice to meet you." She let go of his hand and eyed Yuzu. "And you are?"

"Uh…Yuzu Hiragi, nice to meet you as well." After the greetings were properly exchanged, she asked, "So you're from Signal Academy as well? It must have been a long way from Patch Island."

"You don't say. I still need a nap," complained Yuya.

Yuzu merely face palmed and added: "Just a little bit, how about you? Are you from Vale?"

"Yes, we come from one of the combat schools from the LDS branch."

Ah, Leo Duel School, the international combat school, famous for their top-tier (and expensive) education and equipment. Not that Signal was a run-of-the-mill kind of school. It was merely more accessible and laid-back in comparison. Yuzu remembered some cringe-worthy stories about how strict combat training was at LDS. And this girl, Masumi, definitely seemed to live up to the rumors. Everything about her body language yelled "on guard," from the way she stood, her posture, and her guarded reactions. Strangely enough, the same couldn't be said of the other boy, Sawatari. If Masumi hadn't mentioned it, she wouldn't have guessed he was from LDS.

"Oi! Yuzu, Yuya! I see you've already made some acquaintances!" They both saw her father and Gongenzaka waving at them. She looked at the time: 8:58 A.M. The Beacon airship would be arriving at any minute.

"It's almost time. We should get to the boarding lane," pointed out Masumi. Since neither of them were familiar with the place, they decided to follow her, and made signs to the others to follow as well.

The porting lane looked way bigger than they thought; it extended for at least a mile, and it looked like it could fit five or six airships. Yuzu briefly wondered just how many of them would Beacon send, considering that despite the crowd, only about forty to forty-five of them looked like students. The other people making up the crowd were families, friends and even former teachers seeing their former students off. She thought she caught glimpses of press members, taking random pictures of the crowd-

….

Odd, for a moment she could swear that there was another first year student walking a little bit behind her, and then nothing. People and their presence traces didn't just disappear one moment from another, especially not around her. She only had this type of feeling around…. Before she could think it any further, she heard an engine.

Or several engines, by the look of things.

There were four airships. They had a central "body" where she assumed the control room was located, as well as the holding place for the passengers. There were four wings on each of them, though they looked too small to be wings; maybe they were supposed to be propellers instead? She didn't know; mechanics had never been her thing. She only relied on it when it came to her weapon.

"Pretty impressive, eh?" She heard her dad next to her; he looked fondly to the airships and then to her. "Brings back memories from my youth."

"I didn't know they had ships like these so long ago, Dad."

"Mean! Your father isn't really that old Yuzu. My Headmaster was still Ozpin, you know?"

"Isn't he old too?" she kept on. She looked at him, sinking his shoulders, and muttering something about mid-life crisis. She tried to take in all of him, from his mood swings, to his spiky orange hair, and his red-orange tracksuit. This would be the last time they would be seeing each other in months, and this was the first time for her living away from home. She had already cried her tears, but she could still feel them stinging on her eyes. She blinked them away and hugged her dad.

"You know I'm just kidding, Dad. You're never getting old." If only, but she felt warm tears on her shoulders and kept silent about them.

Not too far away from that scene, Gongenzaka and his father looked like they were in the middle of a stare-off. Age hadn't really been kind to his father, and not many would have thought this short middle-aged man could have fathered lest educated such a tall and bulky young man, but Yuya could still remember when they meet him and he was just as tall, if not bulkier, than his son.

"Father," started Gongenzaka, "I'm leaving, and I'm going to make sure to live up to everything you've taught me about being a righteous man."

He then made a full bow to him.

"Stand up, my son," said the old man. "If you truly wish to start this path on the right foot, you must start by looking at me eye to eye."

Gongenzaka looked like he wanted to protest but heeded nonetheless.

"Farewell, my dear son," his father said, "Next time we see each other, I'm certain we'll be able to talk to each other as equals."

His son merely nodded, practically choking on fat tears.

Yuya looked away from them, and put on his goggles on. If he had known that there was going to be such sentimentalism going on, he would have insisted that the three of them would be fine going to Vale alone (a lie). He settled for playing around with his necklace, and then he heard a buzz from his pockets.

The scroll had "Dad" on the screen as the caller.

He almost dropped it, but he answered.

"…Dad?" he hated his trembling voice.

"Yuya? Good you guys haven't left." His father sounded in a hurry, as usual; probably calling in between breaks or something. "Listen, I don't want to excuse myself again, but I want you to know I truly meant to be there Yuya…" He heard bustling and background voices that he couldn't make out. "…And that I always support your choices no matter the reasons behind them, so whatever you're looking for in Beacon, Yuya, I'm sure you'll find it. I love you."

He didn't know what to say. Good thing he had his goggles on.

"I love you too Dad. Make sure to look out for the house and everyone else…I'll write you as soon as I- we get there."

"Did you take the Pendulum with you?" asked his dad. Yuya could only muster a sound he hoped sounded like an affirmative. "Figures. Remember it will help you not to lose sight of your goal…but also to not look sight of yourself Yuya. Don't let them consume you nor hurt those around you."

"I would never let anything happen to Yuzu and Gongenzaka!" He actually felt offended that his own father would think him capable of such a thing.

"I never said you would mean any harm to them, Yuya," he sounded worried. "But, sometimes all it takes is a misplaced sense of righteousness." He wanted to protest, but the next sentence rendered him speechless. "Your mother knew it too, Yuya, because she was the same, and it concerned her as much as it concerns me."

"…airships are getting boarded now Dad, I have to go." He didn't want to have this conversation again. He appreciated the sentiment behind them, but at some point they all started to sound the same.

"Good luck, Yuya. I'll be waiting for those letters…I'll make sure to let Yoko know about your new school." He wanted to say something, anything, but before he could a voiceover resounded on the lane.

"LAST CALL FOR ALL NEW STUDENTS OF BEACON ACADEMY. WE BEG YOU TO BOARD THE SHIP IMMEDIATELY!"

"OhmygodDadgottago-" he hurriedly put the scroll back in his pocket, looking for the ship where Yuzu and Gongenzaka had boarded. A pink hair and huge teen couldn't be hard to miss, right?

*****

"Hurry up, Yuya!" called from the entrance of the very last airship on the lane.

"Coming!" he finally reached the entrance, but stopped for a second to catch his breath. For a brief moment, he wondered whether or not the ships would leave without the distracted students who missed the last call, or maybe some who really ended up sleeping in. He really needed to thank his friends, otherwise there was a good chance he would have ended like one of those unfortunate souls.

"Yuya! You really need to work on your discipline. If we hadn't woken you up-"

"I know that," he exhaled, taking off his goggles. "Don't worry guys, I'm gonna make sure I've become the kind of person you can depend on as well!" He flashed a bright smile at them.

They both actually felt touched by his promise. Of course he would; they would do the same for the other, no questions asked.

"Well, you're in an awfully better mood than a few minutes ago," Yuzu teased. "Anything you wanna tell us?"

"Well…" He really didn't want to worry them with "the warning" as they three had come to call it, but that aside, he felt like that call had really pumped up his spirits.

He didn't think he needed that nap anymore.

"Dad called me…" he answered, sounding doubtful. "He wished me luck and everything, you know." He put his arms behind his head, hoping to look less giddy than he felt.

"I'm glad you could talk to him, Yuya."

"I, the man Gongenzaka, also wish for you to work this out."

He wished that too, but having them both telling him was always nice. It made him feel more confident on succeeding.

"ALL CONTROL ROOMS TO PASSENGERS; WE WILL BE CLOSING THE GATES NOW. PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU KEEP YOUR DISTANCE AWAY IN THE PROCESS AND REMEMBER TO KEEP YOUR FOOTING DURING THE LAUNCH."

Sadly for the three of them, the gates not only closed while the voice kept talking, but a sudden movement made them all stagger and predictably roll into each other and then onto the floor.

So there, on top of Gongenzaka's wide back, laid a faced up Yuzu, with Yuya sitting rather awkwardly on her lap.

"Ugggh" Yuya saw a spinning room when he raised his head. He felt fabric below him and merely thanked whoever was up there for not being under Gongenzaka this time.

It had happened a couple times, and it wasn't a pretty experience.

"Well that's quite the show you guys are giving over there," the voice sounded familiar, and amused. It was Masumi.

He looked from them and then at Sawatari; damnit, why didn't anybody tell him that he was in this airship? Why couldn't Gongenzaka pick another one? Heck, what was the point of having a disembodied voice talking about precautions when said circumstances where happening while it was still talking? It kind of defeated the point of it.

He was even more surprised when the guy, rather than make another remark, went and offered a helping hand to Yuzu. Despite the good intentions, Yuzu didn't take the help (she wouldn't be forgetting about his rude remarks any time soon).

"Ow! Yuya! You always cheat so you get to be on top," she complained while rubbing her sides in the spot where he had been sitting.

He let out a little chuckle, looking guilty.

"Amusing as it was," spoke up Masumi, "that was actually impressive. To keep a nice balance during a fall is always useful."

"You think? Thanks!" A compliment was always well received.

"Easy for you to say, you don't have to be on the receiving end of his body weight" said Yuzu.

"Oh come on, I'm not that heavy! Not like _others_ , at least." He actually meant Gongenzaka, but he realized too late, how said comment could be taken in the presence of a lady.

"What was that-" yelled Yuzu, before being interrupted by Sawatari no less.

"Such rudeness, Yuya Sakaki," he crossed his arms and continued. "First, you land on top of a lady, not even bothering to help her, and now you comment on her body weight? Just another proof of the poor education you must have endured at-"

"I dare you to say another thing about Signal Academy," she growled from behind him.

"What's the matter with you? Such a head-strong woman you are! I was defending _you_!" He made sure to keep his distance, the memory of the morning still fresh on his head.

"Well, I didn't ask for it. I can handle Yuya just fine on my own."

And so it began: the most ridiculous discussion ever. Yuya tried and failed to stay away from it; Yuzu alternated in between yelling at and defending Yuya from Sawatari, the latter apparently kept on making remarks about his two friends. He was keeping his distance from Yuzu, but not really bothering with Yuya to the point that he actually reached out to his goggles to stretch them and letting them snap on Yuya's eyes.

Not good. If this kept going, things would turn nasty real fast.

Gongenzaka having just gotten himself from the floor, looked at the squabble between the three of them (although that other black-haired girl just seemed happy and amused with looking at them) he felt at loss they should be trying to get to meet with others not having nonsensical arguments with them.

Then again, what else could be expected from a bunch of teens put together in the same room for more than ten minutes?

"That is enough!" he claimed.

All of them listened to his booming voice (and some others in the ship, too).

"My name is Noboru Gongenzaka" he looked at Masumi and Sawatari. "Nice to meet you."

"Um …Likewise," responded Sawatari. What else could he say? It wasn't like this massive dude (was he really the same age as him?) was anything but polite.

"Masumi Koutsu, likewise." Only she shook his hand, Sawatari couldn't understand how he didn't crush her hand and he didn't want to risk either way.

"I'm looking forward to be classmates." He bowed his head at them.

"So, do I," said an unfamiliar voice from the other side of the window.

They all, including Masumi and Gongenzaka, slightly jumped out of surprise. It wasn't due to being overheard, they were being really loud after all, nor was it that they were ashamed of anything (he looked their age so he obviously wasn't a teacher). It was that no one had seen him approach their group. He was just suddenly standing two feet away from them as if he had been there the whole time. Gongenzaka made a mental note that even Yuzu seemed taken aback.

The voice in question came from a tall guy, taller than Sawatari, but not as much as him, wearing a red and black hoodie obscuring his face, underneath he had a long red scarf, a blue long-sleeved sweater and white pants. When he removed his hood, they all saw he had short silver hair (with a darker shade on the back apparently) and thick red-framed glasses.

He looked at each one of them thoroughly before speaking up.

"Reiji Akaba. It's a pleasure to meet you."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Duun dun dun!! 
> 
> Here I leave you the 1st chapter. Thank you all for the reads, follows and the review.
> 
> And thanks to AnimeGirl 144, I promise to work on my punctuation ^.^'


	3. 2.- New Friends & Rumors

Reiji made a mental note to not introduce himself in that manner ever again.

As he looked at his…well he supposed they were classmates now, they all looked uncomfortable to have him intrude in their "conversation," especially the girl with the twin pigtails. She looked almost creeped out, this briefly puzzled him, he knew that he had messed up; no point in denying it (trial and error he told himself). He didn't think he had made such a bad impression. Maybe he should have taken off the hood before speaking up? He had a brief mental image of a creepy stalker following a child on the way home, and felt ashamed at realizing that it was most likely the image they had of him now.

He needed to correct it.

"I apologize for intruding." He adjusted his glasses, eyeing up the taller bulk guy. He looked impassive enough. And the earlier display clearly portrayed him as the mature one. "Since you seem to be introducing yourselves, I felt it would be impolite not to do the same."

He took another look at the others. They had calmed down, and now they were just eyeing him curiously, obviously expecting him to elaborate. This reminded him that since he was not in Atlas anymore, not to mention they had to all be his age, they weren't businessmen or engineers; they wouldn't know anything just by hearing his last name.

He wondered if he should be worried about his lack of words for something as simple as an introduction. Fortunately, the shorter red-headed boy spoke first.

"Um, well, nice meeting you as well," he said while offering his hand at him. "Yuya Sakaki" He looked rather awkward and his greeting sounded more like a peace offering rather than and introduction; but he took it anyway. "Sorry, but I didn't quite catch your name back there…"

"Reiji Akaba," he repeated. "Reiji is fine though."

"Well you can call me Yuya then," the boy smiled, far more relaxed.

After this, they all started to approach him. First was the broader companion of Yuya Sakaki; Gongenzaka he learned, except that he didn't try to shake hands. Instead, he just bowed slightly (which Reiji responded in kind) towards him, and as before, claimed to look forward to meet him. At least he wasn't the only one with an overly polite speech manner. The black haired girl was next. He took note of the LDS badge pin on her clothes, but chose not to comment on it. She (Masumi, he corrected) looked like the epitome of what was expected of an LDS graduate: confident, (mostly) unshakeable, and a great strategist. Whether or not she recognized him was hard for him to tell at the moment.

He wished he could say the same for her former classmate; Reiji had met his fair share of over-dramatic people. It was hard not too when you dealt with business associates and firm partners on semi-daily basis. But this guy, Sawatari, could have easily topped each one of them. It wasn't that he was loud, it was practically imprinted on his very being; from his choice of words to his body language, even if it was a simply introduction. Reiji never thought such person could come out from the LDS ranks. Sure there were many, many people who entered the branch schools looking to prove themselves who had the very same attitude as this guy; they usually quitted after a couple weeks, or were expelled for not taking things seriously, then again he hadn't been there to witness it, so he tried to save any judgments for himself

"So, it is no wonder how you managed to enter Beacon," continued Sawatari after introducing himself. "That thing you did before was definitely impressive. Quite the stealth technique you have there." He stopped to make a pose with his hand on his hair. "To even surprise me, Shingo Sawatari, is quite a feat." Ok, maybe he wasn't completely clueless.

"Thank you," he felt obligated to say so; it would be rude not to. "I suppose it's a relief to hear that from a fellow classmate." He smiled a little.

So that was four new acquaintances to do in his first day, so far it was good…four? He looked over again, and realized that the other girl in the group, the one with the blue barrettes, had yet tointroduce herself. She seemed to be looking at him rather warily and it didn't look like she had moved from her spot since the exchange began. She didn't look scared or anything, but she looked thoughtful, like she was weighting her options. This struck him as odd; he would have thought the initial awkwardness was gone. Apparently he was wrong, again.

"Um…" She started once she noticed she was the odd one out. "Sorry, I guess I kinda spaced out for a couple minutes." She forced a little laugh and approached him.

"My name is Yuzu Hiragi," she heard herself say, and realized this was the way she usually introduced herself to teachers or grownups in general; not to classmates, or possible new friends and quickly added while reaching out to him, "nice to meet you."

When he took her hand, she instantly felt relieved. There wasn't anything off with his contact. It was a regular handshake. She instantly let go of her previous anxiety and returned the hold much more securely than how it started.

"Reiji," he responded. He seemed to take notice of her change of attitude so she tried to start a conversation.

"So, Reiji," she hoped she sounded friendly. "Where do you come from? I thought I saw you somewhere in the port but…" ‘ _You disappeared_ ’, she thought to herself. "I guess you got lost in the crowd. We didn't have a chance to meet back there." Not to mention he acted and sounded way too polite for someone his age. Sure, Gongenzaka did it as well, but anyone could tell he did it out of obligation rather than preference, unlike the person in front of her.

"Ah, I'm actually from Atlas," he responded. For a moment, she thought he looked relieved.

Mantle eh? She guessed that explained his pale complexion. She had never been there (nor traveled kingdoms for that matter), but she knew it was to the north and that it suffered from cold winters.

"Wow, all the way from Atlas? Really?" exclaimed Yuya from behind her. She resisted the urge to face palm. Atlas wasn't really _that_ far from Vale; then again Yuya was never particularly fond of geography or history. If Reiji noticed his slip or not, he didn't comment on it.

"Really, Yuya? Atlas is just a flight away from Vale City." Of course it had to be Sawatari. Yuzu already gripped her handbag tighter just in case. "Kudos for another great lesson at…" he stopped the moment he looked back at her; good, she was getting tired of scolding people anyway.

"I, for one, used to visit Atlas a lot," intervened Masumi. "It's such a beautiful city, especially the communications tower. It will take your breath away." She had a fond look on her eyes and added, "And of course it's the operations center of Leo Corporations." She looked at Reiji as if she had just made some type of secret public. He just adjusted his glasses again.

"Leo Corporation?" Both she and Yuya asked in unison. The name sounded familiar.

"It's the company responsible for the creation of LDS," explained Masumi. She felt silly realizing that it was kind of obvious: Leo Duel School, Leo Corporations, didn't take a genius to put thosetwo together.

"Of course, they are also behind the industry of weapons and military. More specifically, they are famous for the monopoly of hunter's weapons and Dust powered technology," added Gongenzaka, always interested on anything related to the history of weaponry.

"Ugh, can we change the subject? When did this become a school lesson anyway?" added Yuya, officially losing interest in Atlas.

"Yuya! That's rude!" she and Gongenzaka said in unison this time.

"It's ok, really," spoke Reiji, looking disinterested as well. "There's nothing noteworthy about Atlas besides that."

"Oh, you don't mean that!" exclaimed Yuzu. "I mean, I guess you would think that because you've lived there you're entire life, but…um…um." She was at a lost as to what to say next. She wasn't even sure what the point she was trying to make was. After all didn't she, Yuya, and all the locals thought the same of Patch Island and often wondered why tourists bothered to go there for vacation? "Um…never mind," she spoke, barely above a whisper. Reiji looked like he really wanted to change the subject anyway.

"I actually agree with Yuzu," started Masumi. As glad as she was to be reassured, she couldn't shake off the fact that Masumi looked almost…mischievous since they've reached the topic of Atlas and Leo Corporation. "Atlas can hardly be called boring. Since I got into LDS, I haven't been able to revisit it." She looked at Reiji again and then at them, "Unless of course, you count that one field trip to LDS main headquarters"

"Oh right! I remember that!" suddenly said Sawatari. Now Masumi's smile looked almost triumphal. "Quite an event if you ask me. LDS Vale branch has nothing to envy the other combat schools, but it is nothing compared to the one in Atlas…"

Yuzu had to wonder if Sawatari had ever taken drama lessons at school or afterschool activities. He would definitely be able to pull it out as an actor or something. Also, looking at how Reiji suddenly looked like he wished he was somewhere else, and Masumi contently looking at Sawatari yapping away, and for the third time today got a weird feeling.

"…and the facilities they provided us with, first class, and I should know after all my family…"

By this point, quite a few of the other passengers had begun to listen to Sawatari. Some of them actually tried to act like they weren't listening in, but failed to because they, consciously or not, began to move closer. Yuya and Gongenzaka looked at Yuzu, the former mouthing _come on; now is our chance to slip away._ The latter was actually asking her why she looked so troubled all of the sudden.

The sudden attention had obviously prompted Sawatari to slip into a ridiculously detailed explanation of every corner of every place they visited, but Yuzu and the boys noticed some of them had stopped paying attention to him. For some reason, they focused on Reiji and even murmured amongst themselves. They gave them the impression of a cornered prey, surreal as it sounded. Now if only Sawatari would stop talking so loudly so she could hear them more clearly.

"Yuzu, do you want us to help Reiji slip away from the Sawatari MC show?" asked an amused Yuya beside her, and she flashed him the most grateful smile in the world and nodded at Reiji, hoping he could get the message: _follow us_.

Of course, Masumi had to speak up as soon as Reiji looked like he had understood.

"That is all very interesting, Sawatari." And she moved to stand between them and Reiji. "But would you be so kind as to remind us the highlight of our trip, the one thing that even our teacher hadn't anticipated?"

"Oh that part!" smiled Sawatari. "Just as we were getting ready to leave, we noticed the press in the hallway. It was quite a ruckus actually, and in the middle of the commotion, who did we see? None other than the President of the LDS faculty, Lady Himika, but accompanied by her respectable husband, the Professor and," at this point people had gone back to paying attention to him. "The CEO of Leo Corporations, Leo Akab-ba…"

He stumbled upon his words and finally, stopped talking. He looked over at Reiji Akaba, as if he was looking at him for the first time, and openly gaped at him.

Now Yuzu could hear what the others were whispering.

"So the rumors were true. We have an heir in our class."

"I can't believe it! I thought it was just a tabloid!"

"Do you think he really got in here by himself? I remember reading his father bought…"

Well, Yuzu certainly didn't feel like listening to _that_.

Masumi looked all too pleased with herself as she finally removed herself from the group, with the excuse of needing to use the bathroom. Yuzu looked at her retreating back and she had a sudden thought: Masumi planned this. She didn't know from where she started, but she did.

She didn't know for what purpose. If she knew it, she could have just asked him before, without having to bring to everyone's attention. This was something that Reiji definitely didn't want if his retreating into himself was any indication.

She heard a whistle and turned around to look at Yuya, smiling again, though no longer an amused one.

"Well, who would have thought," she heard him say, while he looked at Reiji sympathetically.

"Well, I the man Gongenzaka, feel guilty as well," pointed out the big guy too, posing his eyes on hers. "I did recognize his last name, but didn't think much about it." Of course he would try to acquire responsibility for this.

"Yeah," agreed Yuzu, but she refused to take any part in the gaping crowd. She wasn't sure anything she could say would be of any help.

Besides, she had done more than enough.

**∞**

Afterwards, the flight was rather uneventful.

If your definition of uneventful was people chatting away the juicy new piece of information gained thanks to a weird combination of Masumi's schemes and Sawatari's loose lips and forgetful mind.

Yuya thought it was fine, or at least it could have been worse. Masumi could have outed Reiji on the skyport where everyone, the press, and their grandmas were present. Personally, he didn't think it was such a big deal. So he was the son of a really rich and famous people, so what? The guy didn't have to isolate himself into a corner sulking because people knew it.

Well, maybe that was too harsh, it's not like this guy, Reiji, was guilty of anything. And he certainly wasn't acting all high and mighty. And he guessed anyone would be sulky about being accused of buying your way into Beacon.

"People from the other airships are trying to peek at this one," said Yuzu, who was currently next to him with her forehead on the window, sulking on her own too.

"Really?" he tried to force his view, but he only saw the closest airship with spots gathering on the windows. He supposed they could be people. They could also be reflections from the sunlight. "Maybe they're just admiring the view. Look! We can see Signal from here!" Or what he thought was Signal, anyway. She didn't make any sign she was listening to him though.

"Oh, come on Yuzu. How could people on the other ships know already, anyway?" he tried to reason with her, which was already weird; usually it was the other way around.

"Did you hit your head too when we boarded or did you forget texting is a thing?" deadpanned Gongenzaka from his sitting spot on the other side of Yuya, frowning and looking deep in thought. That, or he was meditating; both expressions were identical to him. Of course he knew; there were a couple people on the ship who were looking way too much into their scrolls to just be playing. He was just trying to lift the mood.

He wished he was more like his father in moments like these.

"Sorry Yuya, I'll stop now," said Yuzu, finally removing herself from the window with a weak smile. "It's just…me and my big mouth." She sighed.

" _Your_ big mouth? Everyone except you on this ship has a big mouth. It was a slip; nothing else." Ok that was better; he could do this. "Besides what's the deal with that guy anyway? If he really didn't want anyone to know, maybe he should have omitted his last name, or just use an alias or something." And now she was frowning, which usually meant he had screwed something up. Great, just great.

"You can't possibly think that the Headmaster would let him get away with that." She had a point. "We are all starting as equals at Beacon, nobody gets special treatment; despite what everyone else…" she stopped to give an ugly look at the others, "…may think."

"Well it wouldn't be too far-fetched. After all, he is the son of Leo Akaba," said another voice; Masumi again.

"Wha-what? What has that to do with anything?" exclaimed Yuzu, and Yuya made sure to take a step back. An angry Yuzu was never good news.

"Everything, actually." Unlike her, Masumi didn't stumble or raise her voice. "Beacon is a hunter's academy. Leo's company is responsible for almost all the manufacturing of the necessary technology to fabricate our weapons. It would just take a call to the right people up there and ask for a special favor. Don't you agree?"

Yuya had to admit, it was a good point. If Beacon (and all the other schools) had become so dependent on their tech, it would be in their best interest to grant Leo's son an entrance.

"No, I don't." Yuya could tell Yuzu was now calmer and ready to tear Masumi's argument to pieces. "I actually think you're stretching these facts. True, our technology is deeply dependent on their advances; and yes, Leo Corporation has a huge influence on the world as a whole…"

"Well that's obvious..." started Masumi, obviously trying to shut her off, but Yuzu held out her hand to stop her.

"You, however, are forgetting that our world as a whole is dependent on the Beacon Academy; on all of the academies to continue providing training to people like you and me to become hunters. You claim Leo has some kind of absolute power, and even if he did, it's a power that only stands as long as said world continues to exist." Yuzu actually looked proud of herself, and Yuya always enjoyed watching her shine like that.

"Well that's certainly a way to see it. A naïve poetic way, but-" Masumi actually looked troubled there.

"Oh, pardon me," continued Yuzu, now mimicking Masumi's way of speaking and mannerisms. "If you are talking about money and influence, then it's not a really good argument either. After all, aren't all hunter academies funded by their respective governments? Anyone accepted into them isn't charged a lien for its education because our councils aren't idiots; they know it's in their better interests to keep said education as accessible as possible."

"True. Not to mention that for anyone to even be considered to be in charge of such important institutions would have to have their greatest confidence and trust. I, for one, can't imagine said person responding to anyone except our leaders," added Gongenzaka, still not moving from his spot on the floor but clearly giving his full support to Yuzu.

Yuya wanted to say something too, but he was not one to think too deeply on how or why things in the world were ran the way they were. But, he could always count on his friends to give him perspective on other things.

"Yes! That's right!" Yuzu looked ecstatic now. "In fact, what has Leo Akaba to offer to Professor Ozpin that he doesn't have into reach already? And in any case, why would the council give Beacon's leadership to a man who could be moved with money or petty favors?" She finished with a glowing smile, and sounding triumphant.

Yuya could tell Masumi had been left speechless, even if she was good at hiding it. Glancing around, he found other than Reiji, a couple feet behind her. Obviously, he had been listening at the very least the last part, which Yuya was aware it could be very well taken as a jab to his family (even if Yuzu didn't meant it that way).

Well, he thought, as he stepped over to stand beside Yuzu, this was where he was good. He couldn't aid Yuzu or Gongenzaka on their homework or when they were having their verbal arguments with other people (or among themselves sometimes), but he could always offer support in this manner. He concluded his internal monologue by cracking his knuckles.

Reiji seemed to have other ideas though. "Nothing really," he simply said.

"Uh?" said all four of them (including Gongenzaka).

"Regarding your first question," he was looking at Yuzu now, "I can't think of anything my father can offer to Professor Ozpin that he can't get by himself." He broke eye contact with her when he realized he was making her uncomfortable, and seemed to settle for a neutral point on the window. "I have never met him, and personally, I think he mostly interacts with him, through the General Ironwood but… I guess I'm trying to say I agree with what you," then he looked at Gongenzaka, "and your friend said."

This time, Masumi merely huffed and then looked at Yuzu. "I guess I underestimated you. All of you," she said and then walked away.

Well, there wouldn't be any broken bones anytime soon he guessed, and merely addressed Reiji.

"Um, thanks for that" What else could he say? "But you should thank Yuzu you know." He had an idea now. "After all, that little thing seemed to get you out of sulk village." He was grinning now.

He took pride in actually perplexing the rich boy when he actually blinked several times, as if he wasn't sure he had heard him right. Yuzu looked like she wanted to scold him, but let out a little laugh instead and just patted him on the back.

"Yuya, I think that's hardly necessary." Well, leave it to Gongenzaka to spoil the fun.

Reiji looked like he wanted to say something but couldn't find the right words. Before he could, someone else spoke up.

"Hello, and welcome to Beacon." It was a woman's voice.

They (and everyone on board) turned their attention to the front of the room where a hologram of a blond woman in glasses who looked in her early thirties was standing. Yuya thought she looked familiar and heard someone say:

"Look! It really is Glynda Goodwitch!"

This claim was confirmed when the holographic woman continued:

"You are among a privileged few who have received the honor of being selected to attend this prestigious academy! Our world is experiencing an incredible time of peace, and as future Huntsmen and Huntresses, it is your duty to uphold it. You have demonstrated the courage needed for such a task, and now it is our turn to provide you with the knowledge and the training to protect our world."

Afterwards, it just disappeared. The room exploded into cheers, exclamations of delight, and pride. Yuya couldn't blame them; he himself felt proud too. Yuzu, Gongenzaka and even Masumi seemed to join the gabble.

"Well this is the start, eh?" he heard someone say.

"Hey look Yuya, you can see Signal from here?!" he heard Yuzu say.

"Are you sure it's not just you who can see it?" He was then pulled by her to the window…She was right. There it was: their old home. He supposed, at some point, the ship had made a turn, because he could clearly see each one of the parts that made it so. The green-grey mass that made up the Grimm Forest, the plains, the towns, and right in the middle of it, Signal Academy. He liked the thought that if they could see this, their friends could see them too, and probably be waving at them as a second farewell.

He gave it a last glance and faced towards the top tower at Beacon, barely able to contain his enthusiasm; he would be sure to fill everyone in about his new home.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay! New chapter.
> 
> Hope you like this one, in case you're wondering about some different character traits, its because in this setting, Reiji's and Yuya's fathers never dissapeared, doesn't mean that their lives are perfect though, actually you can go to my profile, and see some links to more information.
> 
> Special thanks to AnimeGirl 144 for the corrections.


	4. 3.- The Not So Shining Beacon Part I

After all the airships landed and they were allowed to off board them, Gongenzaka wanted nothing more than to make sure that his and all of their bags arrived safely (especially the weapons). He then wanted to go to the main hall where they would all hear a welcome speech by none other than Headmaster Ozpin. After that, they could have the whole day to explore the Academy with no rush until the initiation.

Too bad Yuya, Yuzu, and pretty much everyone else had different ideas.

The landing lane kind of a mess, in between people rushing to the front door and pretty much ignoring the safety instructions given by the control room. As soon as they were at the front entrance of the school, students from the other ships had rushed to talk to everyone who had been in the same flight as Reiji Akaba.

At first, it wasn't as bad since Sawatari had gladly welcomed and hogged all of the attention and questions from them, but as soon as people realized the extent of his exaggeration and outright lying, they started to hunt down the other passengers. Fortunately, Yuzu was able to tell which people had the intention of surrounding them and get to "spill the beans," as Yuya liked to put it, and Yuya was able to help leave them behind.

So far, everything was good, people didn't seem to know they had talked face to face with Reiji (for once he thanked the heavens for Sawatari's lies for leaving them off the story.) and in his opinion it was never too soon to put in practice one's abilities.

Now if only he could convince them to check their luggage.

"Would you look at this place!" said Yuya on one side, eyeing the campus. There were no doubts he was drawing a map in his head, and contemplating how difficult it could be to sneak off when necessary. He took a deep breath then and exclaimed, "This place has nothing on Signal Academy!"

"Look at the Tower!" said Yuzu on his other side. "And the beacon! It's just as beautiful as the pictures." He didn't doubt her, and the part of him that had researched every scope of history and information of the Academy along with her wanted to agree…except that from where he was standing, he only saw a faint green glow. He supposed it was better to look at during nighttime; at the moment, it was only a green lamp in the distance.

Also, he knew that if he left Yuya and Yuzu to their own devices they would spend the whole day exploring and probably miss the welcome speech; especially Yuzu, whom he knew by experience, could get herself lost by admiring every detail of the structure.

"I'm glad that you're enjoying yourselves, but we really need to check our luggage…" he said, attempting to bring forward their attention.

"Oh, come on! There's plenty of time!" said Yuya from the top of the Statue poised right at the center of their path.

"Really? Well I guess you guys are right. After all, I'm sure that nothing bad would have happened to our weapons." Now Yuya was standing next to him. "Nor could we possibly be late toHeadmaster Ozpin's speech." As soon as she heard him she seemed to deflate, and walked back in their direction.

He smiled widely at them. Nobody could say that the man, Gongenzaka, didn't know his friends.

"Now that's more like it," he said as they neared the off-boarding lane with all the bags and backpacks and even some furniture (some students hadn't bothered to heed the Beacon's letter advice it seemed). They noticed that the lane was mostly deserted so they could pick up their stuff with no hassle.

"Well well. Look who was deemed worthy to make an appearance." They heard Sawatari say from behind them.

Very well, scratch the no hassle part. They could still handle him perfectly well, rather than a large crowd of classmates on par with their abilities.

He heard Yuya groan as he went to talk to the personnel on the airships.

"What is it Sawatari?" asked Yuzu with a barely contained growl in her voice. She was still pissed at him for earlier.

"Now, milady, what's with that unsavory attitude? It doesn't befit a Beacon student." Of course, only he could say such things to her and think of it as a compliment. Yuzu merely rolled her eyes at him.

"Don't play dumb with me," she said. "I can't believe you're even trying to speak to us, after what you did on the way here."

"Oi, Yuzu I found your weapons!" screamed Yuya from the other side. "I'll bring it to you, but, Gongenzaka you bring yours. I can't possibly carry it all myself."

Gongenzaka enjoyed the way Sawatari's face turned white when he heard that, and probably decided he didn't want to deal with their group fully armed.

"Oh…well I'm gonna get going now. See you later, hehe," he said from the distance.

"It serves him well," said Yuya, handing Yuzu her shield and sword, which she promptly attached them to her wrist and waist respectively. "What did he want now anyway?"

"He wanted to see if we knew were Reiji Akaba had gone to," replied Yuzu. She probably heard him mumbling or something.

"Why would we know that?" asked Yuya, truly puzzled.

Because he had talked to him rather than stared in awe at him? Or because he introduced himself to them in obvious interest? Or because he and Yuzu had defended him from Masumi's accusations of buying his place here? Those were the answers at the top of Gongenzaka's mind. Well, maybe the last one was a stretch. Yuzu hadn't been defending him; she was defending the integrity of the Academy and Professor Ozpin. It just so happened that the talk included Leo Corporation and, by extent, him.

And that he apparently agreed with them about it.

He would be lying if he said he wasn't a tiny bit interested on why one of the richest persons in the world and soon to be a CEO would be in anyway interested on becoming a huntsman. Not that there wasn't merit to the idea; Gongenzaka would give him that much. Still, it seemed such an anticlimactic path for someone who had his life resolved from the moment he was born.

Well, as long as he wasn't some snotty rich boy, looking for the fame and glory attached to the Hunter profession, he had no place into questioning his reasons, and neither had anyone else. And he definitely had been smart to make a disappearing act as soon as they landed.

Once he retrieved his weapon and was assured that the rest of their luggage would be put in the main hall at night, he went to join his friends again.

**∞**

The Amphitheater was another great piece of architecture that needed to be carefully studied.

Those were Yuzu's thoughts as soon as they reached it.

It was a dome covered in glass, and wooden bleaches on the high side, and it seemed like the place had controlled illumination depending on the different purposes of it, assembly hall, dueling arena, announcements etc. recited Yuzu in her head, while admiring the circular stage at the far front of the room. It even had some ornate backdrop which she wanted to put her hands on. She would have to wait since the large crowd had assembled in front of the stage; all of them waiting around for the assembly to begin.

She couldn't wait to see Ozpin in person.

"It seems to be a rather large group, isn't it?" a feminine voice said next to her. Masumi, again.

She didn't want to give Masumi the satisfaction of being right. Every year there was about forty to fifty (give or take) students admitted into the Academy, which sounded like a really small number, but when you took all them into a closed room, they seemed much more numerous than they really were.

"Maybe." She tried to see if Yuya and Gongenzaka were near so she could strike a conversation with them instead of the company present, but she saw Gongenzaka talking and admiring the workmanship of another boy's weapon. It looked like a regular sword, but Gongenzaka looked too enthralled by it to be just that.

Yuya, on the other hand, had not been so lucky and somehow was now trapped in what appeared to be a one-sided conversation with Sawatari, who kept talking about his so-called accomplishments in LDS, no doubt stretching the truth until it couldn't fit in the room anymore.

"Looking for an escape route?" asked Masumi with a bemused tone. She was now looking in the same directions as her and giggled slightly when she saw where her friends were. "Wow, feeling abandoned yet?" she asked.

"What do you want, Masumi?" said Yuzu in defeat. No, she did not feel abandoned. The three of them were free to meet new people any day.

"Just trying to start a conversation," said Masumi in a huff. "Don't be so salty."

"Ok, have you apologized to Reiji Akaba yet?" she asked. "If you do, I may consider the offer."

"Oh? You noticed?" Masumi asked. "Good for you. But you ought to be angry at Mr. Loose Lips over there, aren't you?"

"Oh believe me, I want to throttle him." She glared at Sawatari across from them, but he was still engulfed in his 'conversation' with Yuya. "But other than being an über talkative idiot, he's harmless. You were the one who dared to bring into question the selection processes of Beacon Academy, not him."

That's right; to hell with Reiji! And screw Leo Corporation! That's why she was so 'salty,' as Masumi put it.

"Oh, don't be so dramatic," she said while flipping her hair to the side. "Of course I don't think such things. You ought to be better at reading the atmosphere."

"So? Was it just for fun? Did you enjoy ruining someone's reputation before the first day of school?" she demanded through clenched teeth. This wasn't making anything better; if anything, it was worse.

"Reiji Akaba hardly needs my help for that. Now you can thank that to Atlas yellow press and his parents' shady business practices." Masumi was serious now. "I just needed people to believe itfor a couple days. That's all."

"Believe in Leo Corps over powerful influence, that is." Yuzu raised an eyebrow. Of course Masumi would want people to believe that LDS, her school, had influence on Ozpin.

"Good, so I don't have to spell it out for you."

She couldn't believe this girl, nor could she believe she had considered a possible future friend earlier that day, especially when she had been so nice to Yuya.

"Did you at least mean it? About Yoko being you heroine?" If Masumi wanted to play influence, she could do that too, and she begged to Yuya in her mind to forgive her for this.

Masumi actually looked offended. "I didn't plan this from the moment I saw you guys in the skyport, you know?" She looked to the side for moment before adding, "And my respects were sincere." The tone of voice was low, but it sounded genuine.

Yuzu wanted to say: 'Well, she would never approve of what you did,' but she couldn't muster the guts to do so. Besides, she wasn't cruel enough to make Masumi feel deflated about her idol; instead she held out her hand once more to her.

"Ok then," she started. "I think we started with the left foot then." Masumi looked at her as if she had lost her head, but she took her hand anyway.

"People like you would never last a day in LDS, you know?" Masumi said smiling, sincerely for once.

"Right back at you. Signal Academy doesn't take too kindly to people like you," Yuzu responded. Masumi merely shrugged as if saying 'fair enough' and kept smiling at her. Well that wasn't so bad; she could do this. And if she ended up on the same team as Masumi, it wouldn't be the end of the world.

She saw Yuya coming over her way, having finally noticed who she was talking to. Unsurprisingly, Sawatari was following behind, who just didn't seem to get the hint. Rather than let him outright ask if there was anything wrong (do you need help?) she merely made a reassuring gesture, not wanting to continue the dispute.

Then Gongenzaka neared as well, with the brown-haired boy from before, and a purple-haired guy she hadn't seen before. The former wore a dark long sleeved shirt and pants under a tan jacket, and the latter wore a short jacket the same hue as his hair, with an asterism shaped pin on it, and white pants under it. She noticed both of them wore the LDS pins on their jackets.

"Oi, Yuzu!" started Gongenzaka. "Know Yaiba Todo and Hokuto Shijima" said as he put his hands on each shoulder of both of them (she had to admire them for not even flinching at its weight).

"Yuzu Hiragi," she said. "Nice to meet you." Before she could continue, a sound came from the microphone at the podium. 'Finally!' she thought and there at the stage was Headmaster Ozpin.

Yuya, on the other hand, didn't really understand Yuzu's dreamy smile at the man on the podium. Sure he knew about Ozpin, who didn't after all? But looking at him he couldn't help but to feel…disappointed? No, that wasn't the word. Underwhelmed fit better. The man of legends and war hero didn't match the figure of a middle-aged man with scruffy white hair and a dark green suit, walking with a cane. Of course he could walk without it, Yuya could tell, but it still seemed odd to him, to match the mental image of THE Ozpin with the one he was seeing now.

It didn't seem to matter to Yuzu, Gongenzaka or anybody else who all looked intently at him from their spot, as if a spell had been put on them.

"I'll...keep this brief." He heard him start. Well at least his voice seemed enough for taking seriously.

"You have traveled here today in search of knowledge…" He gave what it appeared to be an appreciative look at his audience, but it looked vacant and disinterested."…to hone your craft and acquire new skills--and when you have finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people."

Well at least his words seemed to be encouraging.

"But I look amongst you, and all I see is wasted energy, in need of purpose--direction." Ok, never mind the 'encouraging' part. "You assume knowledge will free you of this, but your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far." That was something he could agree on, but it would be easier to swallow it if it wasn't because he sounded like he was reading from an old speech draft which he no longer felt appropriate for the current audience.

Yuya looked around himself and right on cue found serious faces and obscuring ones on many of the student's faces, no doubt feeling deflated at such a welcome. Man, this dude was either worse than him at creating a 'mood' (as his dad called it) or he was incredibly good and this was an intended reaction. Heck if he knew.

Ozpin left the stage and Glynda Goodwitch occupied his place at the mic.

"You will gather in the ballroom tonight; tomorrow, your initiation begins. Be ready. You are dismissed." Quick and to the subject, Yuya was already beginning to associate her with that description. It was certainly better than what Ozpin said, in his opinion that is.

The auditorium was left in silence for a good minute before anyone commented on anything.

"Well, that was…interesting?" said Sawatari, apparently unable to stand any type of silence for too long. And it worked; the lull was broken and people started to vacate the place.

"That was something." Said the purple haired guy – Hokuto was it?

"I guess he looked kind of…off?" Gongenzaka tried too, and the look on his face was one of disappointment, not that he would voice it; not about Ozpin.

"It's almost like he wasn't even there…" said Yuzu in a small voice that could pass as a whisper. Yuya looked over at her, finding her hunched over. He immediately felt bad for her. Ozpin was her hero, and she had been looking forward to see him in person for the first time in her life from the moment they were accepted into Beacon.

Whatever she had been expecting, it certainly hadn't been that sorry excuse of a speech.

"Well, what you gonna do, right?" joked Yuya, trying to lift the mood. "Hey Yuzu! Let's go look at that Shining Beacon you were talking about earlier." That's right; that green shiny thing on top of the tower. Yuzu had been delighted by it when they had arrived.

"Right! I, the man Gongenzaka, didn't have the chance to take a good look at it!" He then let out a loud cackle that startled even some of the other students that stuck around. And it served to snap back Yuzu's attention from the now empty podium.

"Yeah…" She looked at them and gave them a forced smile. "I mean, of course! And don't you even think about ditching the other places too." She said now with a renewed enthusiasm. "Of course we can start with the Shining Beacon. We should also visit the gardens, and I can't wait to check the library! Did you guys know that it contains the records of every huntsmen generation since…"

At this point Yuya felt like backing down and forget he ever proposed the idea (although exploring the garden was a good one), but looking at Yuzu rambling on with Gongenzaka, whom at this point was actively listening to her and even providing some of his own trivia about the academy, he couldn't bring himself to actually regret it. It was certainly better than Sawatari's own ramblings, and looking over his shoulder, he noticed the blond had started to pester Masumi and the other two LDS boys. He found that this was his chance, and so he left the auditorium.

**∞**

Reiji's afternoon after the welcoming speech had been mostly uneventful. He toyed with the idea of touring around the academy, in order to get familiar with the school grounds, but it held little to no appeal to him; not when every one of the areas he was actually interested in had at least one group of people around. Some of them were, no doubt, still hunting around the school looking for him.

Hunt, he had to chuckle a little at the irony.

At the moment, he had found a temporary refuge at the large library, and it was a great place. It was filled with more knowledge and information than he could have wanted. But the best part of the place was that it was deserted; for the most part, that is. Sure, there had been a couple of students who had given it a quick glance at the entrance, but they went off for another place in the academy. Reiji had never considered he would feel thankful for the lack of studious habits of other people.

Of course, he had to hear laughter in the distance as soon as the thought crossed his mind.

"Yuya! This is a library. We have to be quiet." He heard a loud girl's voice say. He knew that voice; it was the same pink-haired girl from the airship.

"Look who's talking. I'm surprised the place didn't rumble just now." And of course her equally loud red-haired companion, well it was only two people not so bad…

"Both of you are being loud"…And of course their other tall friend, who considering his booming voice from before was making a much better job at whispering than the other two. "Now shut it. We may disturb other people."

"What other people? This place is deserted." He heard…Yuya grumbling. "Look, HEY-" Someone's hand must have been put on his mouth because he could hear faint noises of struggling. They were now at the bookshelf next to the one he was.

"It is still question of manners, Yuya," reprimanded the girl.

Something seemed to have called their attention because they stopped advancing; good. He closed his eyes and concentrated on the hard surface of the shelf he was leaning against; the corner was dimly lit so it wouldn't take much to transport himself to the other side of the library, and as he felt his body being covered on shadows he prepared to jump…except the concentration was broken when he heard a strangled noise.

"What is it Yuzu?" asked Yuya.

"I thought I heard…something." He felt his eyes widen at this statement, but refused to step out of his corner, even as he heard steps coming around the shelf to stand right across from him. "Um, guys, nothing not-human can sneak into the Academy, right?" She sounded scared.

"You mean Grimms? No, not beyond the Beacon Cliffs" He heard Gongenzaka say, still on the other side. "Although, sometimes teachers could bring them into the classes for educational purposes, I think?"

"Oh, ok then. Sorry. It was nothing." He was sure she held his eyes for a moment; even if he knew it impossible and went back to her friends.

He released a long sigh and stepped out from around the corner. This was ridiculous. Those were his classmates, and they had talked in the flight here, so why was he hiding? 'Out of habit,’ responded a voice in his head. Well, it had to end now. Coming to this school was supposed to be a new chapter in his life, not a continuation of the already traced paths.

"Um…" He looked at the sound coming from behind him. It was …Yuya, 'Call them by their names,' the voice said again. Instead he asked:

"Are the others still with you?"

"Noooo....." Of course Reiji knew they were still there "...Maybe? Okay, yeah." At least he looked ashamed of lying, even if it wasn't that great of a lie anyways.

He gestured for him to follow. He had nothing to lose, he said to himself

"Hey guys, look who I found! Or, who found me. I don't know…" He was scratching the back of his head now looking at the girl (Yuzu, he remembered now) and the tall one (Gongenzaka right?).

"Hello." He really couldn't think of anything better to say.

Yuzu and …Gongenzaka looked at each other and then to him. Reiji was used to examining looks, to curious ones, even to scornful glares, but he really couldn't begin to guess what type of looks were the ones they were giving him now.

"Oh, Hi! So… Are you… lost or something?" asked Yuzu, smiling now to him. He denied it but she kept talking. "Actually, I think it's late so maybe we should head off to the ballroom to put our sleep bags." They started to leave but Yuzu stopped in her tracks and turned around to give him another smile; this one was obviously forced. "Um, you can walk with us, you know?" It didn't look like she wanted it though, and there it was that look again.

"Yeah, no problem for me," said Yuya. Gogenzaka nodded his head in agreement.

He pondered if he should tell them he knew the way to the ballroom; that there was no need for guidance. But he didn't know if they would listen to him. Even if he was in no rush to sleep, the library closed at eight, so he would have to leave in fifteen minutes anyway. So, he decided to follow after them.

They were nice people, although they were a bit over the top, especially the red-headed one- Yuya. Reiji needed to start assessing his classmates if he didn't want to end with the short end of the stick when the teams were made. Establishing connections was never a bad thing and one of the few things he picked up from his father that he never considered to get rid of.

When they reached the entrance of the ballroom, Yuzu opened the doors very slightly, peeking in between the crease. He mouthed something that could be "coast is clear".

Yuya then sighed and entered with an overly loud 'Hi, everyone.' For a span of a couple minutes, he heard some noises, which apparently called up everyone's attention (if all the shouts and cheers were anything to go by), and then felt a strong hand pulling him behind Gongenzaka. Yuzu was counting down with her hands, and shoved them both into the room.

The push effectively made them both step into the room, where chaos welcomed them. The push also made him come to a realization; because it was only then that it hit him - that look. It was the same look you would give to a lost puppy you couldn't keep, but didn't want to leave it in the rain, so you take it home with you anyway.

They had felt sorry for him.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry I have no excuse for the late update of this T.T, I literally had it on my drive for weeks and forgot while writing the trailers.
> 
> Thank you for you patience with me AnimeGirl 144 ^^, the RWBY gods shall bless you with lots of R&R and followers
> 
> By the way for those who still don't know, the first chapter of the short prequel "Tales of Remnant" is already up, so go check it up ;D


	5. 4.- The Not So Shining Beacon Part II

If someone would have told Yuya that he would end up perched up on one of the ornaments in the ballroom before his first day at Beacon, he would…actually it wouldn't have been hard to believe.

What wasn't expected was the complete mess of blankets, sleeping bags and even some clothes hanging up in them, people were shouting at him from the floor and some of them were laughing their heads off. Of course, the fact that, somehow, Sawatari had ended up there too with the rest of the stuff, had definitely contributed to that. Not necessarily his fault.

Ok, that was a lie; half of it anyway.

How could he have known that rather than just sulking with the rest of their class or take it with humor, he would instead choose to chase him around the room demanding he would give his very expensive jacket back? And the fool had gotten himself stuck with one of the detachable halves of his staff (his precious staff!) with the blade embedded into one of the walls…right after running through the guy's pajamas and sticking him along with it.

The worst part of course was that before he could put it back together and let Sawatari fall on his (probably) naked butt, one of the professors – Glynda (of all people why her?) – entered the room and caught him red-handed. The room fell into silence while she seemed to scan the place; her eyes went from Sawatari following the staff and the chain, finally settling on him, holding the other half of his staff.

Not much chance for denying here.

On the bright side, he saw Yuzu and Gongenzaka giving him the thumbs up from the far corner of the room, next to a very awkward-looking Reiji Akaba. He couldn't resist a giggle then, which earned him a furrowed brow.

"Young man," she said while pulling out her wand. "I beg you to tell me what is it that you find so funny about this, but before that…" she pointed her wand at him and for a moment, Yuya thought she was going to curse him or something; like the evil witch of that movie his dad liked so much. Instead, he felt his staff slipping forcefully away from his hands, joining with its twin where it proceeded to fall on the floor, along with the Sawatari. "…You should bring down every single item you took, and give it back to their respective owners."

Well, that wasn't so bad.

"And then you can come with me and explain to Headmaster Ozpin and me the punch line, if you please." There was no actual question in her tone, and Yuya had no trouble believing she would drag him by the neck like a misbehaved puppy if that's what it took.

"Wh-what?!" He panicked now. "But I- this-" This wasn't good; he couldn't have his first meeting in person with Ozpin because of a stupid prank! One that he hadn't planned on doing in the first place!

Make a distraction, said Yuzu. It will be easy, said Gongenzaka. What if they forced him to go back home and annulled his acceptance? He could feel himself breaking into a sweat and felt jitters (not the good kind) spread through him. Yuzu and Gongenzaka started to walk toward them, but someone beat them to the punch.

"Actually, Miss Glynda," said a voice from behind. It was one of the LDS people, Hokuto, followed by Yaiba and Masumi. "If you allow me - we, as in all of us - kind of goaded him into this."

Glynda merely raised an eyebrow, urging them to continue; although if it didn't look like she believed them in the slightest.

"Yes, we did," said an out of breath Yuzu, standing next to them. Yuya saw she briefly crossed looks with Masumi as in agreement. "We were having a Truth or Dare game."

"Right! After all, what is a good old sleepover without it?" Masumi added, and after giving Sawatari a look, he shot out a really loud (and fake) laughter.

"That's right! It's all for a good laugh after all! Am I right?" The fact that most of the people in the room was laughing now, most likely at him rather than with him, didn't seem to deter him in the slightest.

In that moment, he felt very interested of what Masumi could be holding above Sawatari's head to command him the way she did.

"That's all very funny," said Glynda, and even though she didn't yell, the room once again fell into silence, "but it does little to justify the actions of..." She checked her scroll now, and for a brief moment, Yuya thought she had paused for a couple seconds more than necessary, "Yuya Sakaki. He should know that the weapons were meant to be put away in their respective lockers until tomorrow's initiation."

"R-right. That was another challenge, right?" replied Yuzu, more nervous now. Of course, she tried very hard not to look down at her own sword still on her waist rap.

"Y-yes!" contributed Yaiba. "You see, we challenged those two to retrieve their weapons and do a stunt with them." Thankfully, Gongenzaka had put away his before the tour. It had been too big to be carrying around all day without actually using it

"We didn't actually think they would go through with it…" Hokuto added. "But I guess their secrets are too valuable!" He said with a laugh; a very forced nervous laugh.

"I can assure you that if it wasn't for us and our taunting, they would have never done this," pointed out Masumi. "So I guess  _all_  of us deserve that hearing with the Headmaster." She finished with a shrug.

That seemed to have caught Glynda's eye, and she stopped staring (glaring) at him to stare at the five people behind him.

"Well I can assure you that he doesn't have the time to deal with all of you right now, and the only one coming with me should be the main perpetrator."

"Which is why we all ought to go," spoke up Gongenzaka. "What kind of hunters would we make in the future, if we didn't take responsibility for our actions? I the man Gongenzaka refuse to deny my involvement and demand a proper punishment." Suddenly remembering who he was talking to, he added: "Um…Don't you agree?"

The teacher's expression was carefully controlled, and he couldn't guess what she thought of Gongenzaka's demand; which even Yuya thought it was way too dramatic. He noticed a flash of uncertainty crossing her eyes, just for a second.

It was probably the first time ever a student demanded to be punished.

Suddenly, a ringing sounded and Glynda took out her scroll again. Her eyes widened as she looked it over, and if Yuya didn't know any better, she even looked like she was pouting.

Glynda released a sigh, and said: "Very well, kids."

"Kids? We're seventeen…" whispered Hokuto, which earned him a nudge by both Masumi and Yaiba. Luckily, it didn't seem like Glynda heard him.

"As suspected, the Headmaster is too busy, and so are all of the professors. So, we can't afford to handle the lot of you right now." Yuya, and he suspected all them, felt relieved. "Still we can't let this pass. Instead, all of you, as requested, will be appointed for cleaning duty around the school for a week." Yuya felt like groaning at this, but her tone was final and didn't leave room for discussion.

"Not tonight. You will need to rest for the initiation," she assessed each one of them. "We'll discuss your schedule and duties afterwards; if you survive, that is. Have a good night."

She left the room, and they all relaxed, and even slouched.

Next to him, Yuzu merely smiled and said, "Well, that could have been worse."

∞

"We could have done better," said Glynda to Headmaster Ozpin.

The man standing in front of her merely continued to sip his coffee. Glynda held a lot of respect for him, but sometimes, he infuriated her. This was one of those times.

"Calm down, Glynda. You said it yourself, they're just kids." She didn't miss the amused undertone of his voice, which only made her exasperation grow.

"Kids who used a dust-powered weapon for a prank," she said, practically seething now.

"Need I remind you, that you weren't exactly a paragon at their age?" he responded with a raised eyebrow.

"By the time I was accepted here, I had already stopped those mindless behaviors," she huffed.

"One day more, one day less makes little difference looking back." He started to walk down the hallway, and Glynda followed him. "Was it really such a bad first impression? We've had worse. Besides you were there with me when we approved their submissions, all of the submissions, and you didn't found a fault in my decision back then." _You know I would have listened to you_ was the unspoken scold. Why was she being reprimanded now? Meeting people on paper wasn't the same as meeting them in flesh and he knew that.

"I can't speak of their abilities until the initiation, but their attitudes leave a lot to desire from." She still couldn't guess what had prompted a bunch of first years to team up into being punished; she was sure that at least half of them hadn't meet for more than an hour. "We could have given them more than a week worth of extra duties for instance." Honestly Glynda could say it was a new record for getting such thing before the start of the school year.

"True, but you have to give them credit on that teamwork demonstration. So I took off one week," explained Ozpin before stopping at his office's door. "On more serious matters, has progress been made about…the vanishings?"

"It's still too early to tell," she answered, feeling herself change her disposition; this was business they were talking about, after all. "Security adjustments have been made, and …incidents seem to have stopped, but so far no clues or patterns have been found."

"Perhaps it's time to reunite with old friends." His tone wasn't a reassuring one this time; of course he didn't look forward to this, he never did. He had never been a fan of their…. exploits. "Keep our informant in the dark about this. You are dismissed."

Glynda merely nodded and left. As Ozpin watched her leave, he couldn't help but shake his head in disapproval. She didn't realize how lucky she was, considering the alternatives he would prefer dealing with unruly students for the rest of his life.

∞

Hokuto couldn't believe this.

Not only did he now have a stain on his previously spotless record, he had  _detention_. Seriously, why did Beacon even have that anymore? They weren't kids; it wasn't his fault that some of his classmates insisted in acting as such.

He would be sure to remind that guy that he owed him big time.

Masumi would be off the debt as soon as she would fulfill her word of introducing him to Reiji Akaba. It's not that he didn't want to help her either way, but it was too good of a chance to let it slip.

If he played his cards right, he might be able to team up with him. Yes, that would be ideal. Reiji Akaba, himself, Masumi and Yaiba would be the perfect team Beacon ever produced. After all,only LDS students could possibly be on the same level of the Leo Corps's heir. It was only natural.

He looked distastefully at Sawatari who was still chewing out Yuya Sakaki for his behavior (or his jacket) and the guy not seeming to give a damn about it. Good. Like many others, he was on the fast track to master the art of ignoring Sawatari, as many others before him.

Thinking about it, Sawatari may have actually found his niche amongst them. After all, they were just as loud and temperamental as he was, except that they were actually likeable…to a point. And they wouldn't have him to drag them down like at LDS.

It was still a mystery to him what sorcery had allowed that guy to be accepted at Beacon.

Well, no point in to dwelling in it; it was normal that trash would somehow find its way to mingle with the actual talents.

"Are you done talking to yourself?" said a voice behind him.

He felt all the color draining from his face as he looked over his shoulder to find Masumi looking bemusedly at him.

"I've told you before not to do that!" he found himself yelling, if only to hide the fact that he felt like moping into a corner right now. He hated when she did this.

"Calm down," she stated. "Didn't you say you wanted to meet Reiji Akaba? It would be a shame if you yelling like a baby is the first impression you made on him."

He instantly straightened himself up and tried to fix himself with the most serious expression he could muster.

Masumi wondered if she should tell him he looked like he had swallowed a bug or something equally nasty.

Well, she only promised a meeting. It was up to Hokuto if it was a good one or not.

She looked over in search for the person of interest. No rush if he was hiding or something; Hokuto hadn't been smart enough to set a deadline for the favor.

She was pleasantly surprised, though, when she noticed he was actually retrieving his stuff from the little mountain of backpacks on the far back of the room. She briefly considered if she should start with an apology, like Yuzu suggested.

But she brushed it off; people were bound to find out about him sooner or later. As long as he wasn't one for holding grudges, there was no point into dwelling too much into it. Besides, it wouldn't be too hard to start the approach in a casual manner.

She turned to Hokuto again, and signaled towards Reiji's direction.

"Just go there and pretend to be looking for your things," she told him. That should work. "You know, strike a conversation." It shouldn't be hard; Hokuto was a sociable (if a tad too arrogant) person.

"What?! That wasn't what we agreed on!" complained the guy. "Besides, what am I supposed to say to Reiji Akaba? You already talked to him. Why can't you just introduce me?"

The problem was that she wasn't sure what disposition would Reiji have after what happened at the ship. If he was as smart as rumors painted him to be, he was bound to realize what she had done. She looked over again.

Damn, he had found his bag. It was now or never.

Motioning to Hokuto to follow her, she made her way to the backpacks, instantly locating hers; she could pretend for a bit, though.

"Jeez, so many bags," she complained out loud. She had been careful not to step too close to him; two feet seemed an acceptable distance. "Hokuto, you said you'd help me look," she said as she yanked him next to her, again careful with the distance.

The moment she felt eyes on them she knew she'd won.

"Hey, hi again. You don't happen to have seen my bag have you?"

He didn't answer immediately, and as he looked behind her, to Hokuto, she hoped he wasn't making his _'I swallowed something gross_ ' face.

"I…wouldn't know," he said, adjusting his glasses. "What does it look like?" He gave a searching look to the mountain of luggage, waiting for her answer.

"It's a black one." She conveniently left out that it was covered in a silvery diamond pattern of course; stall and wait.

He was looking at her again, and she had to repress her laugh, because she was well aware at least half of the bags were black.

"Please tell me you're kidding, Masumi," said an exasperated Hokuto behind her. She just smiled innocently at him. "Can't you tell us anything else?"

Now Reiji Akaba was looking at Hokuto again; success.

"Ah, sorry for intruding!" apologized Hokuto, and fortunately, realized this was his chance. "Hokuto Shijima, nice to meet you."

Well, an awkward smile was better than anything, thought Masumi. Too bad Reiji just stared at them, no apparent intention of introducing himself in return.

Hokuto was never going to let her live this down if she didn't do anything.

"Please tell me you're the one kidding now, or were you sleeping under a rock during the flight?" It was a long stretch, but hopefully it would work.

"Wha-Where is that coming from?" Acting hilariously defensive; that's Hokuto for you.

"I mean, you can't possibly not know who you are talking to, or are you trying to play innocent?" teased Masumi looking between both of them; just to make sure Reiji wouldn't sneak out. He wouldn't if he thought someone was addressing him…she hoped, it was basic etiquette after all.

"Masumi Koutsu, I think it's hardly necessary to embarrass your friend like that, over something so trivial." That wasn't Reiji as she hoped; no it was the bulky friend of Yuzu…Gongenzaka. He then looked at Reiji. "Don't you think you are off the hook too, Reiji Akaba." For a moment, Masumi could swear Reiji looked taken aback. "Refusing to acknowledge a perfectly polite introduction; for a young business man, you really need to work on your people skills."

Masumi wanted so desperately to laugh, snort, giggle even, anything to make the twitching in her throat go away, but she held herself together. The fact that Gongenzaka doubled Reiji in width and was at least a head taller than him (probably the only one in the class who towered over him) only made it funnier, and she could bet the only person who ever spoke like that to him was his father.

Too bad that the way Reiji looked away, as if miffed, was her undoing.

All the three boys standing there looked at how Masumi was laughing, holding her hand to her mouth in a poor attempt to muffle it. One of her arms looked for support and found only Hokuto's shoulder. The poor guy looked mortified and indeed didn't know what to do; he never saw her like that before.

"Very well," he heard Reiji say. "Hokuto Shijima right?" He could only nod, completely dumbfounded. "I apologize. Reiji Akaba. Nice to meet you too."

Despite the fact that he still didn't shake hands or motioned closer to them (Masumi was still using him as support), Hokuto felt like he was walking on clouds. Finally, Masumi let go of him and picked up one of the bags.

It was indeed a black one…embroidered with little shiny Rhine stones. It could probably be spotted halfway across the place.

"Oh! Hey look! Here's my bag!" She held it in front of them, making sure they all got a good look at it. "I must have missed it for some reason." She made sure to look at him, that little shrew. "Now, if you gentleman will excuse me, I need to go change," she said in an overly polite tone, mimicking Gongenzaka.

It was then that Hokuto noticed that people had already started to change into their sleepwear. He thought about asking Masumi where she could change, but noticed practically all the guys in the room changed in the open without a care. He wasn't shy of his body, but the fact that there were still girls (who barring a few, seemed to share the guy's opinion on public decency) present in the room made him nervous.

"So, have any of you guys thought any strategies for the initiation?" He heard Gongenzaka ask to the both of them. Good, he could impress Reiji with his insight.

Except he choked on his words when he turned and saw the guy not wearing his shirt. Apparently the guy had undressed while speaking or something. He wanted to protest, but Reiji didn't bat an eye; if anything, he looked like he was profusely thinking of an answer.

"I don't like to say it, but I could not work one, with so little information about it," he simply stated.

"Mmmm…It does make sense to want to be prepared," said Gongenzaka, thoughtful as well. "But we can't always work with the assumption that all the information will be given to us. That's what my father always told me," he finished with a nod.

Great, now Reiji looked like he was seriously considering his words. _'This is not going as planned,_ ' he thought. He needed to steer the conversation back to his person.

"Actually, I managed to hear an interesting tidbit of information regarding the initiation." Now that he had their attention, he seriously hoped that it wasn't a fake one.

"Impossible. The specifics of the ceremony have always been kept in secret," the big guy held a look of disapproval, and Hokuto found himself wondering from what old kung-fu movie had this guy come out from. He didn't think he ever heard anyone saying the word 'ceremony' ever in his life.

"Maybe we should hear him out first. All rumors are bound to have a bit of truth in them," Reiji said, and Hokuto thought he had caught a glimpse of a smug smirk, but it disappeared way too soon to be sure.

Gongenzaka merely huffed, obviously still disapproving, but gave an expectant look to Hokuto.

"Oh…well before LDS graduation I managed to sneak a conversation from two of our teachers, both Beacon graduates." He conveniently left out that it was all Masumi's idea to begin with; he only had gotten the shorter end of the stick and tasked with the job.  _'Stupid scissors_ ' he thought. "They were talking about the most likely to get in LDS candidates, and I am sure I heard something like: 'Either way, they still have to make it through that forest.'" The fact that he just caught at most the words ' _forest_ ' and ' _initiation_ ' because he had hurried back when he heard heels in the hallway coming his way, was left out too.

He still had a bitter taste in his mouth because of the fact that the teachers (including Masumi's beloved Marco-sensei) were discussing a _betting pool_ of all things. He never had the heart to tell Masumi that he actually put higher stakes on Yaiba.

Both just stared at him, obviously expecting an explanation. Gongenzaka probably disapproved of him sneaking into the teacher's lounge, but Reiji actually looked interested.

"Well, you know there are only two forests near Beacon, and since one of them has a trading route it has to be the…"

"…The Emerald Forest," said yet another feminine voice behind him. This time, he managed to stay within his skin, mostly because this voice was higher-pitched than Masumi's and less accusing.

He must have looked somewhat startled because the girl (Yuzu Hiragi, he remembered now) looked sheepishly at him and asked: "Oh, sorry, did I scare you?" He denied it and she continued. "But that's what you were going to say right?" She looked hopeful now.

Damn, now there were more people privy to this information, and no doubt she was going to share it with her tomato-headed friend. Both of them seemed to be joined by the hip at this point.

"Oi, Yuzu!" Speaking of the devil, there he was. The idiot who got him detention, now sporting grey pajamas, hurried to them. Funnily enough, he proceeded to hide behind her, with a pleading look.

"Yuya, what are you doing?" deadpanned Yuzu.

"That Sawatari guy won't leave me alone!" he half-whispered, half-screamed. "You owe me you know? Scare him off like this morning!" She was now glaring at him. "Err…pretty please?" reasoned Yuya.

"I the man Gongenzaka, shall handle Sawatari." He actually placed his fist on his heart; the only thing missing was the dramatic background music.

They all saw how Gongenzaka pretty much dragged Sawatari to the other side of the room, not even attempting to hide the fact. Sawatari's reputation just seemed fated to plummet down every time he interacted with people.

"There, fixed," said Yuzu again. "You can stop hiding. Now, if you excuse me, I was talking to Hokuto."

"I wasn't hiding... just looking for refuge." Such a lame excuse, thought Hokuto. "Where were you anyway? I've been left alone with that guy for almost an hour!"

"It wasn't an hour, Yuya! I left for twenty minutes, tops!" she exclaimed now.

Maybe this was a good thing, if they kept on with this argument. They wouldn't cease without a level-headed one here, and so she'd probably forget about the forest. He tried to see if he could gain back Reiji's attention. Unfortunately, he seemed almost…entertained watching those two argue. He supposed they could be fun to watch.

"Well, it felt like an hour with that guy talking my ear off!" challenged Yuya now. "You said you were just going to leave your things in the locker. You sure took your sweet time."

"I wanted to change too!" hissed Yuzu back. Right now he noticed she was in pajamas too. Hokuto briefly wondered if he should have taken off to the lockers to change too, that seemed the default place for people with a little decency left.

"Why couldn't you just change here anyway like me or Gongenzaka?" asked Yuya.

The room temperature seemed to drop a few degrees and now Hokuto could honestly see why Sawatari was (supposedly) afraid of this chick.

"It's none of my business if you are fine with it, but are you actually suggesting I should have stripped here? In front of everyone else?" she asked in an eerily calm voice.

This was not good. If years of studying with Masumi had thought him anything, it was that calm controlled 'beneath the surface' anger was far more dangerous than rage. Looking over to Yuya,he just seemed oblivious to the atmosphere change. He really was an idiot, wasn't he?

"Why not? You never seemed to have any qualms about it before. You've changed tons of times in front of me and Gongenzaka, is not like there's anything left to see—"

Before he could continue further, a humongous paper fan had landed on his head, leaving a huge bump on his head. He fell to the ground, knocked unconscious by the hit.

"Who does he think I am?" he heard her mutter.

"Yuzu Hiragi." They both looked at Reiji. He was now looking critically at her, and then at Yuya still on the floor. "Even though I understand where your anger is coming from, it would not be in your best interest to possibly cripple your friend right before the initiation."

Yuzu glared at him, looking like she wanted to protest, but Reiji held his ground and didn't avert his gaze, considering the fan was still in her hands; that was a true accomplishment.

Reiji had a fair point though, and for a moment, Hokuto looked at Yuya still on the floor, fearing that he may be actually hurt…until he heard some snoring.

"See? Don't sweat it." She waved her hands in their direction, attempting to sound nonchalant, but Hokuto could see she was relieved to hear the snoring. "Yuya is a hard nut to crack; he was just grumpy because he lost his nap, you see? So back on topic, what were you saying about the forest?"

"Psst, that's none of…" Hokuto started.

"Not much. You pretty much overheard all the facts. The initiation may take place in the Emerald Forest," said Reiji matter-of-factly

"Mmmm…oh well, I better take Yuya to our sleeping bags. Thanks for the heads-up." She then proceeded to drag her friend to the other side of the room; not once did the red-head even stir.

"Well. Can you believe those two?" But as he looked over at Reiji and found nothing.

After this Hokuto felt exhausted, and may just have started feeling a _little_ relieved... maybe Sawatari wouldn't be such a bad teammate choice.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No, neither me or this story is dead or in hiatus, I just took a while off because of my job (last paperwork delivered this week, I'm free yaaay!)
> 
> The second half of this chapter was a bit of a challenge, because I wanted to experiment with Masumi's and Hokuto's POV's hope I didn't mess up, also plot happens courtesy of Ozpin and Glynda.
> 
> Beta reading by AnimeGirl 144, Thank you for your hard work!


	6. 5.- Réveille, Bouffer & Partez!

The night had been surprisingly quiet after Yuya fell asleep.

People chatted for about half an hour afterwards, before they finally decided that sleep was more important than catching up. After all, there wouldn't be much chit chat to do if the people they made friends with didn't make it past initiation.

Even Sawatari had turned out surprisingly mellow, after he was robbed of an ear to whine into; at least one that was too polite to tell him to shut his mouth. Sure there were some people who chose to stay up for quite a while after lights went out, but they hadn't made a ruckus or anything. If it hadn't been for the faint smell of the candle's wax burning off, Yuzu would have probably never known.

She woke up to find that most people had already woken up and picked up their stuff, probably off to have breakfast or something. Checking the clock on the wall, she noticed that it was already eight A.M., which still left them a whole hour to prepare.

Except, of course, that Yuya was still snoring on top of his sleep bag, next to hers.

She sighed and wondered if it would take too long to try to wake him up, after all it was a two-man task and Gongenzaka was nowhere to be seen, probably went out to work out or something.

"Yuya!" she tried to nudge him. "Come on, you're gonna miss breakfast!" Now she was actually holding him by the neck of his pajamas and shook him now. "For god's sake, Yuya you need to wake up right now!"

Nothing. There was actually a drool trail going from his mouth to his clothes, now that she noticed. ' _Gross_ ', she thought. The morning breath certainly didn't help either.

Granted, at that moment, she wasn't in the right to chew on him, since she had slept in too. The whole past day had been really draining, but she couldn't risk leaving him there and have him miss the initiation either.

"Have you tried to kiss him?" questioned a voice behind her.

"Say what?" Yuzu could honestly feel her mind going blank at Masumi's proposition.

"Just saying. In the fairytale, Sleeping Beauty, the princess could only be 'revived' by the kiss of her prince," said Masumi.

"Eh…" She immediately got up, not noticing the thump Yuya's head made on the floor, trying to put distance between them. "Please tell me you're joking."

She didn't know what was weirder; the fact the Masumi actually looked disappointed, or the mental image of ‘princess’ Yuya which refused to leave her mind.

Masumi just shrugged and added, "I meant it as a joke, but by the look of things…" She looked at Yuya. "…You may actually need magic to wake him up, or a bucket of ice cold water; whichever works first," she grinned while saying this.

"That won't be necessary. I the man Gongenzaka have brought the perfect remedy," said the big guy, holding a platter full of pancakes on one arm and three set of plates on the other.

As soon as the scent of warm food reached his nose, Yuya started to stir.

"Can I have some juice too, Dad?" he requested as he sat up. The giggles he heard were enough to shake his head and open his eyes to see Yuzu and Gongenzaka in front of him, staring at him. Nothing new there, but as he looked around him, he noticed he wasn't in his room or any of his friends' rooms. This room was much bigger and fancy-looking than either one of theirs.

"And now the curse has been broken and the kingdom can go back to its previous splendor."

He briefly wondered whose voice he was hearing, and why Yuzu was laughing, but his mind (and belly) could only concentrate on the plate Gongenzaka was carrying.

∞

"So have you guys thought on whose team you would want to be in?" asked Yaiba to no one in particular.

The lockers were brimming with people all changing and adjusting their weapons. Some of the weapons looked pretty awesome…and big and really troublesome to carry around. No, Yaiba had learned to look at the more discreet compact weapons. He had always thought the way a weapon was built and designed spoke volumes of what type of person he would be dealing with. The smart, resourceful people always had the small, non-flashy weapons.

With the possible exception of Sawatari, of course, who was currently his locker neighbor.

"Well obviously my grand person and top graduate of LDS could only ask for equally gifted partners." Sometimes, Yaiba wondered just what was happening in his head to apparently continue to believe his own lies like that.

By his answer, it was obvious that he had neglected to assess his classmates and was attempting to cover his ass.

"Um…Ok?" Why did he ever think he could strike a smart conversation with him? Oh right, he didn't. He was just the nearest source of information he had about Reiji Akaba; not like he had gotten anything useful from him anyway.

Unlike Hokuto, he wasn't overly obsessed with him. He was simply curious.

As far as anybody knew, Leo Akaba's son had never been enrolled into LDS, or any combat school whatsoever. Earning an entrance to Beacon was a feat in and of itself, let alone entering without having formal training. Somehow, though, Reiji had done it, and unlike his other classmates, he didn't have any illusions on Leo's influence on the school.

So he was positive that there must be something special or at least worthy enough to be considered a possible teammate.

"Well if you ask me," He didn't of course; Sawatari didn't have a space in his head for anything not involving his person, "those people from Signal don't seem half bad either."

"Please tell me you are not talking about Yuya Sakaki and those brutes he calls friends." Claimed Sawatari with a dismayed voice. ‘ _Why do I even try?_ ’ thought Yaiba.

"Unless there are more people from Signal this year…" Granted the whole shenanigan Yuya had pulled last night seemed completely random and out of place, but 'brute' seemed a little too much to call someone. Besides, Yaiba had never in his life seen anyone moving in the same way Yuya did, without sweating a drop to boost. Yeah, he would definitely keep an eye on him.

He supposed he ought to be angry at him for sticking him into trouble, but other than minor annoyance, he actually had streaked a sweet deal with Masumi. Now she owed him, and he would make her stick to it.

On the other side of the locker room, Yuya, Yuzu and Gongenzaka were all busy checking their weapons. All three of them were nervous about the initiation, it was natural after all, and nobody really seemed to know what the whole thing was about. Sure there were many, many rumors going around, but they were bound to be taken with a grain of salt.

The fact that they could all be stuck on different teams didn't help matters at all.

After admittedly not so much prodding, Yuzu had managed to get out from her dad how the teams would be picked. The fact that he had tried to desperately deny it afterwards only confirmed it. It was easy to make lifelong promises about sticking to their goals together, but when taking into account every factor, it all seemed almost childish.

Yuya, of course, still secretly hoped they would be allowed to choose their teams.

"So, Yuzu, have you already told Yuya about the forest?" asked Gongenzaka.

"What? What about it?" said Yuya quickly turning his head to listen.

He heard about the Emerald Forest before, but right now, he couldn't care less about it. Yuzu adjusted her waist wrap as she spoke up again. "So…about the teams…" she started.

"The forest, eh? That's cool." Both of them sighed. Yuya was the most affected one, even if he tried to hide it. During the whole month prior to coming here, he had practically mastered the art of dancing around the subject, and not wanting to stick around when Yuzu and Gongenzaka talked about what to do in that case.

"Yuya, if you are to fulfill your promise to us and to yourself, you must start by facing the facts," admonished Gongenzaka, clearly having none of this today of all days.

"Come on Yuya, it could be worse, you know?" she tried.

"I guess," he muttered, looking sideways to the rest of his classmates. He didn't know even half of them and the thought of having to work with them for the rest of his stay at Beacon left a bitter taste in his mouth. What type of weirdo would declare that first eye contact was a viable way to ensure teamwork? Why couldn't they just let them have their friends as teammates? He already knew how to work with them; he figured that would save a lot of trouble in the way.

Suddenly, an idea sprung to him.

"I know!" he practically yelled. He sprung face to face to Yuzu then and held her hand with a pleading look. She already knew that look, and Gongenzaka knew that she could not refuse him anything now. "You can do it Yuzu."

"What?!" said both Gongenzaka and Yuzu in unison.

"Of course, how come we didn't think about this before?!" He then motioned even closer and dropped his voice to a whispering level. "I'm gonna need your help guys."

As he explained to both of them his 'plan,' both of them had gradually more and more scandalized looks on their faces. Especially Gongenzaka, who had never been too happy in the first place to be privy to (supposedly) confidential information.

"Yuya even if we follow through with this…teams are made up of four people remember?" said Yuzu with a skeptical look.

"That's right we would still be short of one person," declared Gongenzaka.

"…We can worry about that once we get together." For him it didn't really matter who the fourth member would be. Anyone would do if he could ensure his friends would be with him.

"Excuse me," said another voice behind them.

Yuya had to suppress the urge to jump (quite literally) to the roof. He still didn't know how Reiji kept doing that. He was looking quizzically at them and then just adjusted his glasses and added: "My locker room is right there" he explained pointing at the place blocked by Yuzu.

"Uh? Sorry" she said, it was only then that Yuya noticed her, giving worried glances at him, obviously worried that Reiji had listened in on their conversation.

Yuya didn't feel particularly worried though. The glasses guy owed them anyway for last night. It wasn't like they had to help him, they could've just thrown his hide to the gossipy hens and be on their merry way, but _no_ , Yuzu, Gongenzaka and their (guilty) consciences had to step in and drag him along; they could always ask for a favor in return, if it came to that.

Still, better to stir the conversation away from the topic.

"Reiji Akaba, I see you still have yet to hone your people skills," commented Gongenzaka, now with his arms crossed, directing a judgmental look at the guy. He should know he found himself receiving it more times than he cared to admit.

"Gongenzaka” He said adjusting his glasses. “I think it's hardly realistic to have such expectations after less than a day," countered Reiji.

Yuya thought he had caught an amused tone from him, if such thing was possible.

"Come on guys, it's not such a big deal," said a very awkward Yuzu, doing a terrible job at 'acting natural.'

Reiji just nodded and advanced to his locker. Yuya didn't know why, but this guy was rubbing him in the wrong way, not in the same way Sawatari grated at his nerves, but the way he carried that blank face everywhere wasn't normal, It was even less reassuring on how he kept looking at everyone with those …probing eyes; it was unnerving.

Which was completely different from the totally-awkward-but-still-common atmosphere from the flight to Beacon, but right now, part of Yuya felt like he was being cut apart in a dissecting table by his eyes.

He found that he hated the feeling.

"So, Reiji, are you nervous too?" asked Yuzu, trying to get a vibe on the guy.

Yuzu had to admit, it was a little amusing to see the almost imperceptible pause he made at the question, and even more to see him weighing his answer as if the world depended on what he would say.

"What is the purpose of asking such a question?" he asked, never tearing his eyes away from his things, not even to glance up at them.

Yuzu could say she and the boys were perplexed, neither of them having expected an actual answer from him other than maybe a noncommittal 'a little' or 'not really.'

"I'm sorry I don't understand…" she started, but didn't finish. She had no idea what had prompted this, so much for a bit of chit-chat.

"I apologize…" Should he admit that he really didn't know which answer was better? Admit nervousness over the initiation or deny it? The latter had a good chance of alienating him even more (due to perceived arrogance perhaps?) and the former would most definitely find reassurance and encouragement from them. "…I mean it would be foolish for one to deny nervousness given the circumstances" …A lie was better for the moment.

"Uh? Oh right! Sorry I didn't mean to put you on the spot or anything. Heh, not after yesterday anyway. Lesson learned, by the way," she said.

Was she actually trying to apologize for that? Did he give the impression of being angry at them for it? If anything, he thought they would blame him for the hassle, especially considering that there wasn't any need for a distraction in the first place.

Reiji suppressed a sigh, wondering if he should have stepped in when Glynda started to berate Yuya, or at least offer himself to cover for whatever duties they had ahead of them.

"Would you both calm down a little?" he heard Yuya say, looking deadpanned.

"Agreed. Can we just settle that it was an unfortunate misunderstanding? No need to cry over spilled milk," said Gongenzaka with a similar expression.

He heard laughter coming from Yuzu, and heard her apologize to them for overthinking things. He withheld another sigh. If this was what people his age acted like, he had a long way to go. Reiji was no stranger to the feeling of alienation (ironically, it was a feeling he was the most familiar with) but it had never felt more pronounced in his life than it already was after just one day at Beacon.

∞

At nine o'clock, the announcement was made that all the first-years should go to the Beacon Cliffs.

Everyone at the lockers had taken a moment to let it sink before heading outdoors, and if the green faces and the sounds coming from the bathroom earlier were any indication, Masumi guessed some people had taken a literal meaning to getting rid of their nerves.

As they were guided by Miss Glynda to the border of the cliffs, she mentally went through everything she knew about the initiation.

She knew there was a forest involved, and if written records on them were anything to go by, that meant they would be put against Grimms from the get go; she felt a chill at the thought. She knew what they looked like (who didn't?) and the approximate threat level of each species, but nothing could ever compare to seeing them in the flesh.

For that reason, she was quite wary of the people from Signal from the start. She had never been in Patch, but she knew about the Grimm Forest, and about the constant stationed hunters in the island for that precise reason. She could not put above them to have early experience with those beasts. Technically speaking, combat schools weren't allowed to have their students' fight Grimms. No curriculum excuse was allowed by law, and who in their right mind would put a _child_ against such monsters? However, even with those regulations, it was an accepted fact that despite being considered a country folk school by some people, Signal always managed to have at least a handful of students accepted into Beacon, _every damn year_ , which closely rivaled with LDS' record. She refused to believe it was a coincidence. In fact, the only reason Signal was second place was because LDS numbers were much larger thanks to their various branches around Remnant.

As much as it hurt to admit it, where LDS led the numbers, Signal beat them in quality, and probably even in experience.

"Oi Masumi, what are you thinking of?" asked Yaiba at her side. Hokuto joined too, but didn't ask anything. She didn't miss the sneer he threw at Yuya and the others when they passed them.

"…Nothing really. Anyone good at the lockers, Yaiba?" she questioned.

"Not much, if you ask me. I still think Yuya Sakaki is a good match though," he answered. Ah, yes he would be a nice addition, and she could be privy to more Yoko details too if she played her cards right.

"Hmph, what about Reiji Akaba? Anything about him?" asked Hokuto with a hopeful face.

"I couldn't say," said Yaiba crossing his arms behind his head with a pensive look. "Don't look at me like that Hokuto; we can't trust just a last name as basis for choosing a teammate."

Hokuto simply shrugged in a defeated fashion. Masumi had noticed he looked disappointed after his talk with Reiji, but he refused to say why.

"Anyway we're still doing this right?" he asked to them.

"Well duh," Yaiba responded and the three of them scattered in the crowd, nobody noticing the faint glow of their LDS pins.

∞

The last student gathered at the cliffs and looked in amazement at the red foliage, no doubt being their first time looking at the Forever Fall forest, Glynda was already used to the sight so she just had her back to it, checking that every student was present. The moment Yuya Sakaki stepped into sight, she made a gesture to Ozpin, who responded by posing his eyes on him a couple seconds longer than the rest.

A blink-and-you-miss-it shrug was given in response while he continued to sip his coffee; clearly for him the matter was closed.

Some students were still staring quite unabashedly at him, probably wondering what the Headmaster was doing here with lowly first-years, drinking coffee from a regular mug, like any other human past their youth.

Others, Glynda noticed, were a bit more subtle and just stole brief glances at him every couple minutes. Others didn't seem to care less if the Council themselves would be proctors of this test; probably thinking of the best way to get this over with.

"Since everyone's gathered already, let us start." They all heard Miss Glynda start. "For years, you have trained to become warriors, and today, your abilities will be evaluated in the Forever Fall Forest."

Most of them had already taken their positions on the platforms; Yuya was trying to ponder which position would be best for the three of them to take so they could land closer to each other.

"Now, I'm sure many of you have heard rumors about the assignment of 'teams.' Well, allow us to put an end to your confusion. Each of you will be given teammates…" Many excited voices were heard at this. "…Today."

Lots of loud gasps and gulps were heard then; some people looked dejected and others confused. Reiji was trying to process the information. The forest was good; lots of trees and with them, shadows.

"These teammates will be with you for the rest of your time here at Beacon. So it is in your best interest to be paired with someone with whom you can work well," said Ozpin, sounding in a much better mood than yesterday.

If Yuya's plan worked, that was not going to be a problem. It still didn't sit well with Gongenzaka to do so, but there were no rules against this and he had to admit there was too much risk if left at random.

"That being said, the first person you make eye contact with after landing will be your partner for the next four years," he continued.

If there was an appropriate sound for the 'shattered dreams' state of mind, Yuzu would definitely be hearing it now, as many people were starting to look worried and looking frantically around in panic.

She took notice that neither Masumi nor her LDS friends looked surprised.

"After you've partnered up, make your way to the eastern end of the forest. You will meet opposition along the way. Do not hesitate to destroy everything in your path... or you will die." Ozpin's words were remarked by his tone, and he let them sink in before continuing.

Well, tough luck if you didn't know that much, thought Yuya, and felt slightly amused at seeing Sawatari having a shocked expression at the last sentence. Yuya noticed he didn't seem to be holding any weapon at all, and briefly wondered if he was _that_ good, or just overly confidant at a suicidal level; probably the latter. He adjusted his goggles one last time.

"You will be monitored and graded through the duration of your initiation, but our instructors will not intervene. You will find an abandoned shrine beyond the train tracks containing several relics. Each pair must choose one and return to the top of the cliff. You will guard that item, as well as your standing, and grade you appropriately. Are there any questions?" he finished.

Masumi felt the urge of face palming at seeing some raised hands. Some people really weren't made for this life it seemed.

"Good! Now, take your positions."

All in tow readied their positions at his command. Ozpin took notice of the young man in glasses one last time. He had chosen the very last platform of the lineup, and unlike the rest of the lineup, he had positioned his body in a semi-full crouch with his arm positioned at the front. It wasn't a regular stance, but it was effective nonetheless.

When he and the rest of the teaching board read the name on his submission, they had been slightly taken aback, even more after Ozpin decided to approve it. Oobleck especially had argued against accepting someone for lacking the proper credentials, but after a reminder that it wasn't the first and certainly wouldn't be the last time such applicants were admitted, however rare, he had retired his objections.

He would lie if he denied that a small part of his acceptance came exclusively from Ozpin's curiosity to see him in action. Reiji wasn't the only one who captured his attention though; there were a number of familiar names and faces this year whom he would definitely keep an eye in.

Both he and Glynda looked at how one by one the students were launched into the forest. Some had their bodies taut and stances rigid, meeting the full force of gravity and air with their own. Others had a more fluid and relaxed air to them, looking how they let the force flow lead their way.

The boy whom Glynda still seemed crossed with let out an ecstatic howl during the launch, which lasted for quite a while in the air. He hoped that enthusiasm survived past the test. Finally, the last one was hauled into the forest with the red dash of his scarf mixing with the red leaves.

Yes, this was going to be an interesting year, he thought as he sipped from his mug.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New Chapter courtesy of AnimeGirl 144 and her betaing work, thank you again!
> 
> I don't like that this one came up a bit shorter than the rest, I like to keep them consistent...but I didn't want to drag their mental preparation either so here you go!
> 
> Also as you probably noticed, this is the chapter where the changes to the RWBY canon start to become more obvious, expect more on future chapters.


	7. 6.- The Forever Fall Forest

The Forever Fall forest was worldly known for the eternally red foliage of its trees, and even more for the special red sap that could only be collected from them, the fact that you had to enter a forest known to be filled with Rapier Wasps and Ursa and heaven knows what else didn't deter researchers to fill out sample requests.

It was also one of the main trade routes, courtesy of Leo Corps and Schnee Dust Company, between Vale and Vacuo; such was the reason behind the existence of the railway.

Reiji supposed that there were no scheduled trains today if Ozpin choose it for the initiation.

 _'There!_ ' he thought the moment he spotted a heavily leafy tree right ahead of his way. He steered right into its foliage and made a grab for one of the branches. The moment he plunged into the nearest shadow source, he realized how different it felt to do it with (strictly speaking) an 'alive' object.

He tried very hard not to think about the crawling sensation that filled him during those few moments, but the moment he stepped out of it at the solid ground below it, he couldn't help but feel relieved that it was over.

He allowed himself a moment to regain balance and looked around him.

Reiji chuckled a bit and adjusted his glasses to the sight. 'So, this is why they threw us in here.' Before him, and as far as he could see, was nothing but the same red foliage and no road or landmarks were in sight. There was nothing they could put their trust into except their abilities and their future partners.

As he let the realization settle in, a howl that filled the air called his attention, which was their … _signal_.

∞

The moment that the crimson leaves were in sight, back when Glynda led them to the cliffs, Yuzu knew that it would be up to her to reunite with either Yuya or Gongenzaka. After all, there was no way her hair and clothes would be easily visible to them in between those trees.

The wind against her body felt almost too much, and she had to numb it down to concentrate on a chosen spot ahead of her.

Using her gun, she fired below her, using the recoil to spin herself. She put her shielded arm in front of her and started to cut through the branches, finally landing herself on the biggest one.

She released a sigh, adjusting her senses once more, and was aware of the shout in the distance. It was Yuya.

 _'Damn, he's really far,'_ she cursed in her mind.

***Bzzzz***

…And apparently that was the least of her troubles. She gulped down a knot in her throat as she caught sight of the humongous ball, doubling at least the size of her head hanging right above the branch she was standing on.

A Rapier Wasp hive.

 _'It's fine. It's fine. I don't have anything sweet on me…'_ she chanted in her mind. All she had to do was jump to the ground and steer away from it, at least twenty feet, or so books said.

She started her way down, branch by branch, checking the hive every few jumps, not taking any risks to startle them with any brash moves.

Relief was welcomed but short lived when her feet touched the ground, as she was aware of something watching her from the bushes at her back. The stomps nearing alerted her and she unsheathed her sword.

***Swash***

…Not too effective against the plates of an Ursa, she thought bitterly, and blocked herself from its claws slash.

The force sent her backwards, but she stood her ground. Looking down she saw it was standing on its feet and lunged at her.

She pierced through its stomach and slashed it. Once the Ursa faltered, she landed a kick on it, the beast landing on its back. Before it could recover, Yuzu neared beside it with her gun assembled.

***BLAST***

As she saw the black smoke exuding from the black fur pieces, the only thing remaining from the Ursa, she heard several identical growls along with several more stomping sounds.

This was exactly what she feared: the Ursa's last screech gave away her location.

Before she could ponder what to do, a yelp escaped her as a (much smaller) Ursa thumped her into the ground back first. She doubted for a second before seeing its jaws aim at her neck.

"Oh no you don't!" she screamed, and jumped from her back to her feet, effectively kicking its chin up in the air. "Eat this!" she muttered and fired directly at its mouth.

She barely noticed the black and white chunks around her as the rest of the pack appeared. Yuzu's eyes shifted from each one of them, and gritted her teeth.

She couldn't keep wasting bullets on every one of them.

She hoped that smaller ones were really as stupid as her dad often told her. She felt like she was in the middle of a blurred scene. The only things existing were her and the Grimms looking hungrily at her.

After she beheaded the first one, it all became a turmoil of slashes, kicks and limbs flying around. Yuzu could only be aware of the weak spots.

Attack, a slash through the mid-side. Block, her shield was raised to deflect the paw coming at her. Parry, and then aimed at its neck, a head rolling down. Retreat, she avoided a frontal assault and fired at the Ursa coming at her, except this one didn't explode.

Looking at the numerous plates and spikes and much greater size, she realized it must be the Ursa Major. She needed to recharge her magazines now, and Yuzu grabbed more munitions.

It cost her and a clawed mass shoved her against the trunk hard.  _'Bad move,'_ she thought and then, the buzzing sound returned to her ears. 'The Rapier Wasps!' She caught sight of the hive falling on top of her and dashed to the side…

… And then incrusting itself into the spikes of the incoming Ursa. A mass of flying insects instantly formed around it while it started to trash around like a rabid animal.

It was absurd.

But Yuzu wasn't about to complain, and dashed in the opposite direction of the beast trashing around.

When she stopped to catch her breath, she cursed under her breath, realizing that Yuya's shouts could no longer be heard, which could only mean…

***Rustle***

She stood up right away, sword and shield out front, another stump and she lunged…

∞

Yuya kept jumping from tree to tree. He had already lost count of how many people he kept avoiding by taking another one, not breaking rules here; after all no eye contact had ever been made.

He had made sure of it, which was the great thing about his agility if he didn't want to be spotted; any other person (except Yuzu…which worked just fine right now) would see nothing but a red and green smudge and continue on their way.

The moment Yuya's eye caught Gongenzaka he stopped. Just like he thought the big guy had been easier to spot in the middle of the landing, his white garb contrasting with the red landscape.

"Gongenzaka!" he practically yelled.

"Yuya?!-" Was all the big guy could say as a rolling mass of black, white and red charged into Gongenzaka, whom luckily stood his ground.

Finally it had been expelled by force up in the air and Yuya did not waste a second. He spun and one swift hit charged with lightning mid-air and it was forced out of its spinning form, landing on its back.

Before the Boar could react, two sharp noises were heard, accompanied by two quick flashes and the boar was unmoving, smoke coming out of it.

"You have the worst timing," Yuya heard Gongenzaka complain.

"I'd say my timing was pretty good here," he replied, grinning and scratching his cheek

"Are you implying that, I the man Gongenzaka could not handle such pitiful beast?" huffed his friend.

"Calm down, Gongenzaka I'd never imply that," he said sweat-dropping. So much for a bit of good-natured remarks. "Come on, at least my plan worked…" he added now pouting.

"…Mmph, there's a first time for everything," Gongenzaka remarked, smirking now.

"Ha, ha, how funny," he replied in a deadpan.

"So, I take it you haven't found her?" he asked Gongenzaka, not really waiting for an answer though. "How about you Mr. Pig? Seen a girl with pink hair around here?" he mockingly asked the smoking Grimm in front of him.

"Should we wait for Yuzu around here? Or get on our way to search for the relics?" asked Gongenzaka.

How should he know? Yuzu was the best chance they had as tracker and he had no idea where to start looking for her. Was she already on the way to the shrine? Did she have a partner already? 'Please don't let it be Sawatari.'

"We can't keep waiting for Yuzu. We'll have to trust she's on her way to the train tracks so let's-"

"AAAIIIIIEEEEEEEEKKK!!!"

"What the hell was that?" asked Gongenzaka. It seemed to come from the north, and it was followed by lots of growling and crashing noises.

'Looks like the initiation is picking up already,' thought Yuya from the top of the tree. Yuya tried to see any landmarks.

"Certainly not Yuzu," he commented. "…Unless she's the one hunting them down," he joked, but Gongenzaka just glared at him. "Fine, I get it. Let's go check."

∞

"Last pair has been confirmed," Glynda informed her boss, looking up from her scroll right on cue to the high pitched scream in the distance. "I honestly can't imagine a worst suited pair."

Ozpin didn't reply, but Glynda caught sight of the footage of his scroll; dashes of red, green and orange. He was looking at Yoko's son.

With a sigh she just added: "It shouldn't take too long for them to reach the shrine. May I know what relics have you used this time?"

"Nothing special. Just a couple of…tokens," he responded, never tearing his eyes away from his scroll.

∞

"….IIIEEEEKKKK!!!!!" As the screaming didn't seem to be stopping any time soon, Masumi could feel her eardrums ringing.

The Beowolf (or was it an Ursa?) continued to close in on them, and when they neared a clearing, she realized she needed to get rid of the dead weight.

"Stop screaming damn it!" she screamed, throwing her…partner, from her now sore shoulder into the grass.

She readjusted herself and pulled out her revolver, firing a dozen of bullets at the thing. It stopped only long enough for her to activate her semblance.

The Grimm looked confused since one of its previous prey suddenly disappeared, but settled for the other one still sitting on the ground.

"ARGHHH!!!!! Don't kill me!" shouted the boy, but before the beast could do anything, Masumi materialized mid-air in between them.

She chopped its head with a clean cut.

Masumi fell to her knees and felt her mouth forming a smile; she did it! She took down her first Grimm creature! The swelling pride in her chest was short-lived, though, as she remembered her…partner and marched to him, grabbing him by the collar of the shirt.

"Great job Masumi! You really…what are you doing?" he asked with a trembling voice.

"I should be the one asking that! What the hell was that? It was a HUGE opening! Aren't you and LDS graduate? Are you even an actual fighter? You scum …" No he was lower than that, she couldn't even bear to look at him, and so she let go of his shirt.

Fuck this forest, fuck this stupid initiation, but most of all, "…Screw you Sawatari," she cursed with her gritted teeth and stormed off. Sawatari Shingo ran after her, calling her name and asking her what was wrong.

∞

 _'Talk about awkward,'_ thought Yuzu, which, in her current situation, was quite an understatement.

"Yuzu Hiragi," he said looking at her with a watchful eye. "Will you lower your blade if I do so as well?" finished Reiji Akaba.

Her partner for the next four years; she still wasn't sure if she could wrap head around the idea. Then he dropped his fighting stance as a show of good will. Now that the dagger was outside her radar she relaxed as well.

"Um, sorry," tried Yuzu while sheathing her sword again. She rubbed her temples, trying to come up with an explanation of why she had attacked him; none of them were any good. Not to mention she needed to find Yuya and Gongenzaka without making it overly obvious.

"We should get back on track," she heard Reiji say. "Can you lead the way?" he requested.

It was amusing to see her flinch like a deer in headlights; with that look it was almost too hard to believe that the same girl had almost caught him off ward. He would have to find out how she kept tracking him like that.

Then again, this could work out well. The others weren't safe yet, but now the only person (that he knew) who could somehow get past his semblance was his partner instead of an opponent.

"Well, we definitely should not go that way," Yuzu said, pointing behind her. "Nor that other way," she added too, about the direction where the second scream had been heard.

There was not much they could do with that, and plunging had proven to be little to not helpful at all. "Professor Ozpin said the shrine should be past the tracks. Any chance you saw them from the sky?" Reiji asked.

 _'Yes,'_ she thought immediately, but she had to find her friends first! But it was either go there or the opposite direction entirely and there was no guarantee that Yuya's location was still the same as the last shout he gave.

"We should go to the southeast. Train tracks weren't visible, but I'm sure I caught a…Reiji?" Once again, no sign of him; nothing. This really shouldn't unnerve her as much as it did. So he had some sort of transportation semblance? Big deal. But….

***Hissss***

Her hand was barely on her sword's handle when she saw half a dozen of …flashes flying at her.

None of them meant to hit her; they went past her and she heard them pierce skin. There was a hiss that followed, and then she heard a heavy thump behind her.

A King Taijitu, with its white scales, both burned and stuck into a near tree.

She neared it cautiously, but after looking at the black dust she knew the thing could never get off on its own, no matter how much it tried to bite her head off.

***FASH***

_'The tail!'_ she thought as she forced her body to withstand the hit.

Now she stood there, her hands grabbing onto the tail mid-swift while her upper body stopped the hit. Now if she could just cut through it…

***THUMP***

The tail gave in and she looked up at the form of Reiji on top of the head, a dagger thrusted to the hilt into it. It still didn't exude smoke so she reached for her sword.

With a single cut, its head fell onto the ground and Yuzu confirmed her suspicions; no heartbeat, scent, not even actual muscles flexing or anything of the like.

"Southeast you said?" she heard Reiji ask behind her, the feeling went away immediately…this wasn't right.

"Yeah…" Yuzu tried not to let the uneasiness affect her demeanor, but as she looked at his back and concentrated on him a thought crept inside her head:

 _'Remember kids, never hesitate to kill them. Grimms aren't really alive. They have no soul, and leave no body behind.'_ She remembered Yoko's words. Physical noises aside, Yuzu had been aware of them not giving off any vital signs either.

Just like Reiji every time his semblance was activated. "Uhm, we should get going," she suggested.

∞

"Still no sign of Masumi?" asked Hokuto over Yaiba's shoulder.

"There's a sign, but it's really faint." She must be too far …Or her tracker had been busted. Not a thought she wanted to entertain, but it was unlikely she had just dropped it.

"It sucks but we can't detour right now." They were almost there. Yaiba could make out the faint glitter of the tracks.

"Doesn't this seem a little…too easy?" asked Yaiba.

"Uh? What's that about all of the sudden?" demanded Hokuto in annoyance

"Well…we haven't encountered any Grimm so far. Isn't the forest supposed to be riddled with them?" he asked again.

"Really, I say we just appreciate the gggggooooo…." Seriously, Hokuto could be so slow sometimes.

And not just when he was into one of his delay glyphs, along with the White King Taijitu, ready to sink its fangs into his friend's neck.

He quickly fired some bullets into the snake's open mouth…only to see their speed dramatically slowing down before it made impact on it.

'Uh-oh ok. I practically asked for that to happen…' he thought in a deadpanned tone. Deactivating the glyph on the snake with a sigh he prepared his weapon.

As the bullets pierced through the Taijitu's head and stumbled a little, he tried to calm his trembling hand.

 _'It's no different than a stupid oversized lizard'_ he thought, releasing a breath and focusing on its scale-less neck, and activated the acceleration glyph.

One (not so) clean slash and deactivated glyph later…

"…uuuuck! Argh!! What in God's name is that!" he screamed when he looked at the smoking white head between them.

"That, Hokuto, means that the current Grimm killer count is Yaiba – one, you – zero." He made sure to make a 0 shape with his hand.

"Gahhh! It will not be for long!" Hokuto stomped his foot on the ground and unfolded his weapon into the trunk of the nearest tree.

Activation made sparks and lightning come off the crown. Once it died down, and as if on cue, dozens of black birds fell from it, all immobile and with razor sharp wings.

"Want to keep the count? Yaiba – one, and Hokuto….?" he asked with a smug smile.

"Shut up. As if a bunch of smoked tiny Nevermores compare to a King Taijitu!" he complained while sticking out his tongue.

"What about a pack of Ursas?" he asked with a panicked face.

"Wha-" He was interrupted by multiple roars and felt his back bumping into Hokuto's.

"You just had to open your big mouth, didn't you?" nagged Hokuto.

"And you just had to give out our position with those pretty lights, didn't you?" he yelled back.

Yaiba would have kept on chewing him out, but looking at the monsters surrounding them made the words stuck in his throat.

He had to act quickly, so he activated a Synchronization glyph and gave the signal to Hokuto and they both started the assault.

Yaiba was glad to realize that he no longer felt his hand tremble in fear, but with adrenaline, as he occupied himself on slashing the head of one of them.

Later, he watched as the arms of three of them fall to the ground and Hokuto in tandem used his whip to slash through their necks.

The Grimm masks and plaques were sturdier than they first looked, and required more than just one slash from Hokuto's pole-axe to yield.

"Aim at its stomach!" he yelled at him.

Hokuto listened, but as he struck it and fell to the ground, a new one took its place…and the glyph wore off.

"Shit, shit, shit…" he muttered.

There were two dozen more of them, at least. He kept on summoning as many Synchronization glyphs as possible, but none of them lasted long enough to do any significant damage; they just kept them at bay.

Even Hokuto's shocks would only stun them long enough for him to make one attack, just to have a different Ursa come at him from the side.

There was a rumble coming from the ground that grew into a buzz.

He saw the luminous ray coming in their directions just in the nick of time, taking Hokuto to the floor with him. He saw the bright energy consume the Grimm on his side and when it died down, there was nothing left.

They had been pulverized.

Before he could start to worry about the Ursas on Hokuto's side, a flash of green and blue was seen and three of them hit the floor with their heads falling to the floor, frozen.

The others were slashed in half by a now yellow flash.

"So, I hope you don't mind us interrupting?" said a familiar voice behind him.

Both of them could only stare back at Yuya Sakaki removing his goggles and scratching his hair.

"Look, I know you're in shock, first time and all that, but there will be more where those came from, so…" he finished as he reached out for them.

Of course, Hokuto had to talk now.

"W-why, who do think you're talking to? We were just about to-" But Yaiba pulled him aside. He really needed to stop talking right now.

"Thank you…Who is 'us' anyway?" he questioned, interrupting his friend. This wasn't the time to try to save face.

"Uh? That was…"

"Yaiba! Hokuto! I the man Gongenzaka apologize for not arriving earlier!" He yelled out of breath, coming out from some brushes.

He looked as his humongous blade was now full-fledged with some sparks coming off of the sphere in the center; the ray had been his.

"Don't sweat it Gongenzaka, right in the nick of time. That's why it was badass and cool as f-" Yuya stopped when the big guy glared at him. "Cool just cool, that's all I was going to say."

"Guys, the shrine is right this way," said Yaiba signaling the newly made …road, courtesy of Gongenzaka.

"We should go before the Ursa Major comes here," advised the big guy.

"There are probably worse things than that around here," said Yuya, pointing up.

They all saw the sky being partially obscured by a giant black silhouette.

_'Oh, for fucks sake.'_

∞

"Are you sure this is going to work?" asked Masumi for the zillionth time. The answer would still be the same.

 _'No.'_  Instead, he said, "Yes!" Sawatari checked one more time their elevation made some mental notes about the amount of force needed.

Looking at the disbelieving look Masumi gave him again.  _'Well, I deserve that,'_ he thought as he told her. "Look, we can do this the hard way or my way. The hard way is gonna take us all day and encounter that…thing again" he finished.

"Why do I get the feeling that they are both equally horrible ideas?"

 _'Because they are.'_ "Stop doubting milady! You are in the capable hands of Shingo Sawatari!"

"Just promise me you won't yell in my ear again."

***SNAP***

∞

"The surrounding areas are clear," said Yuzu to Reiji behind him.

"Good," he told her as a way of thanks.

When Ozpin talked about a 'shrine,' Reiji had had a mental image of broken statues and fallen pillars with moss growing on them, he definitely wasn't expecting a wooden structure with tall, broken, red pillars and a small stair entrance.

He remembered reading about them somewhere, but never actually seen one. He never thought that – considering the wood structure – there would still be some of them around.

"We should hurry. The sooner we get the relics the better," reasoned Yuzu, passing him by. As she started walking up the stairs, the cracking noises which turned out to be falling pieces of some dog-like (wolf-like?) creature's statues standing on each side of the stairs seemed to call her attention.

"This is just sad," she muttered, but he chose not to ask why and followed her.

It was rather simplistic on the inside. There were a couple of ancient-looking buildings, and more pillars around the main road that finished in a fallen down …stage? And there were lots of trees; all of them looked really old, ancient maybe. It was like the place was built to blend in with the forest.

"Well, I don't see any relics in here," he heard Yuzu say in a mildly exasperated tone. "It has to be this place!" she exclaimed, practically stomping on the floor while she kept muttering the instructions given by Ozpin. "It's also really weird…" she said in a more pensive tone

"About what?" he asked her and she went all jumpy and nervous again, apparently she had been talking more to herself than him…again.

"Uh, you see…we haven't really encountered anyone on the way back…" she said with worry in her eyes.

Suddenly, she perked up her head and ran to the entrance.

"Yuya!! Gongenzaka!!" she yelled, and, right on cue, a bunch of running figures was seen ascending the entrance.

Less than a couple seconds after a figure flashed right in front of Yuzu …to pounce on her into a tight hug. He let go of the handle of his dagger when he saw the other approaching figures: their broad friend and two of the LDS guys.

"You made it!" Kept reiterating Yuya Sakaki and seemingly not planning on letting go of her any time soon.

She then noticed they were both scooped from the floor into the arms of Gongenzaka. He was tearing up.

"Ugh, would you three stop this already, before I barf my breakfast?" said Hokuto behind them. "Seriously, you have been apart for like what? An hour? Are you celebrating a new record?"

Thank heavens that it earned him a slight blow to the head from Yaiba.

"Hokuto, I'm begging you to stop talking. Do I need to remind you we still don't know if Masumi made it yet?" she heard Yaiba whispering near Hokuto.

"So guys, how did it go?" she asked, taking notice of the burned dust smell they all gave off.

"He's your partner?" questioned Yuya in a hushed voice and with an almost dismayed tone, ignoring her question while not-so-discreetly pointing to Reiji, standing barely a couple feet from them.

"Yuya…" said Gongenzaka with his fingers rubbing his eyes.

"What?" asked Yuya, a little bewildered, and Yuzu felt her eye twitch a little at this.

"Actually we wanted to ask you something. Earlier Yuzu noticed something odd…" Reiji spoke up now, and Yuzu was thankful he seemed to take Yuya's rudeness in stride. "Did any of you runinto some other people just yet?"

Gongenzaka spoke up. "We only passed Hokuto and Yaiba. We didn't pass anyone else on the way. What's with the question?" he was looking at Reiji now.

"We didn't find any relics, but I doubt that we were the first ones here, Gongenzaka," supplied Yuzu. "And then neither of you have seen anyone coming back to the cliffs have you?" she questioned them now. She didn't miss Hokuto's and Yaiba's panicked looks.

Before anyone could answer, a gust made the few chimes on the dance stage start ringing. A dark figure was now flying over the shrine area.

"Is that a…?" She didn't want to finish the sentence. Even in the distance the Grimm looked decently sized next to the sun, and it only kept getting bigger with every new turn it gave to the area.

"Riiight I knew we were forgetting something," responded Yuya in an apologetic voice.

The air grew heavy when the realization of the Nevermore tailing them settled in. Yuzu had encountered them before, but not one as big as this. Still, they all had their weapons ready.

When two smaller figures seemed to come at them, both Reiji and Gongenzaka looked ready to fire, but a faint sound that reached her ears made her stand in front of them.

"Wait!" she told them. "That's not a Grimm that's…" By the incredulous looks on their faces, she supposed they could see them now.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Will our heroes be able to fend off the giant Nevermore? Will they find the relics? What will the broken bones count at then end, place your bets and find out next on...
> 
> Sorry I got the Anime Narrator syndrome for a minute there, I hope you liked this chapter, anyway how many of you correctly guessed the pairs? Any guesses for where the relics are? Or where did all the others go to?
> 
> Million thanks to AnimeGirl 144 for withstanding my grammar.
> 
> PS: For those who don't know you can check the weapon's and semblance details on my Tumblr pendulum-sonata (links on profile or you can go to the RWBY AU tag)


	8. 7.- Fairytales to Tell in the Dark

"AAAAAAARRRRRGGHHHH!!!!!!"

"That can't possibly be…" started Hokuto.

"But they are," responded Yaiba. They should be doing something, but what? They were falling to an incredible speed.

That's when they saw Yuzu jumping atop one of the pillars. "I got her!" she yelled, jumping right in Masumi's line of landing.

"Yuzu wait, you're gonna get right into the-"

***THUMP***

Whatever Yuya had to say had been interrupted by the body of Sawatari Shingo smacking right into his.

Yuzu hadn't been too lucky either. While she had managed to catch Masumi in the air, she had just ended up being taken down with her afterwards, and of course they had both fallen on top of the other two fools.

Gravity was a harsh mistress and Gongenzaka should know.

"Shouldn't we help them?" asked Hokuto with a gaped mouth.

"Uh, I'm still trying to process what just happened," supplied Yaiba, his eye twitching slightly.

"Ugh, I can't believe I'm saying it, but you're all heavier than Gongenzaka…" muttered Yuya from under them, unsuccessfully trying to crawl from the mass of bodies.

"I can't believe you were the sensible one for once…" muttered Yuzu in a pained tone as well.

"Uhhhh, papa? The plate number was…" Sawatari then proceeded to chant random numbers.

"My heroes," said a nonplussed Masumi with a roll of her eyes, coming down from the top. This seemed to pull her friends out of their daze as they hurried to her side.

While Gongenzaka went to see if Yuya, Yuzu and Sawatari (if begrudgingly so) were fine, he saw from the corner of his eye how Reiji retreated to the dancing stage, as he seemed oddly interested in the structure.

"Wanna bet all your month's allowance that this was his idea," Yuya asked to both of them, looking discretely in Sawatari's direction, who still seemed too dizzy to notice he was already on solid ground.

"Mmmm…I could use the extra money," commented Yuzu with a giggle.

"You two better be joking," reprimanded Gongenzaka. Gambling aside, they still had the Nevermore to worry about.

"What? Come on, you can't tell me you're not relieved he's not your partner, poor Masumi," continued Yuya.

Gongenzaka was left speechless. Sure, maybe some people were less than ideal hunter candidates, but that wasn't an excuse to pity a fellow classmate. He let it slide before about Reiji and if he hadn't already spotted Masumi on her way over to them and practically glowering, he would be the one chewing out Yuya instead.

"Poor Masumi?" she started with a hiss. "Look, can you not start pitying me or something?" Masumi punctuated each word by poking her finger on Yuya's chest. "No need to feel all high and mighty just because one of you guys got the prodigy heir."

"You think we wanted him?" started Yuya, clearly offended. "I mean sure we could have done worse." He looked at Sawatari again, which only angered Masumi more. "But it's not like having the rich boy with us will be a picnic."

"Can we not talk about people like trophies? Or consolation prizes?" pleaded Yuzu anxiously. She was looking worriedly at the sky now.

"Oh my!" continued Masumi, ignoring her. "Are you even hearing yourself? You sound so sure about it, what even makes you think the four of you will be on the same team?" she asked with a wicked smile now.

"Wha-but Ozpin said-" Yuya was looking more and more agitated.

"The _Headmaster_ said we would partner up based on eye contact, he never said that it would influence the teams set up!" Yuya now looked taken aback; clearly he hadn't considered that. "In fact, wouldn’t that be nice? You can keep Yaiba and Hokuto, and I'll keep Yuzu and Reiji, if you are so burdened with him. I'll gladly take him off your hands, along with her." She finished pointing at a now dismayed looking Yuzu.

Ouch, Masumi had hit a sore spot and, going by her grin, she knew it. Now Yuya was the one glowering, so much so that Gongenzaka wouldn't be surprised if he started to actually glow.

"She realizes you're both standing right here, doesn't she?" asked Gongenzaka to the two guys now joining the 'audience'.

"Let her be. She's just venting her frustrations," suggested Yaiba with a shrug.

"She can be really mean when she gets like that, but she hardly ever mea-" agreed Hokuto.

"YUYA! MASUMI! WATCH OUT!" screamed Yuzu, now ducking and holding with her the still out-of-it Sawatari.

The increasing whistling sound from above came barely before some of the razor feathers made contact with them, Yuzu's warning barely giving the rest of them enough time to evade them.

Being the nearest target, Yuya and Masumi could only cut them in half, but there were too many more coming at them.

With a snarl, Gongenzaka watched helplessly how both of them were about to be pierced by the dozen more of them.

.

.

.

But it never came. Instead, he watched dozens of red and blue flashes go past them and pierced the feather projectiles, some of them freezing and shattering, others burning mid-fall.

"Are you unscathed?" Reiji questioned. They just nodded with dumbfounded looks. "Good." He then adjusted his glasses before stating: "This isn't the place nor time to be venting out," said Reiji from, bow in his hands and a jab obviously directed to the two of them, who now looked ashamed.

***CCAAAAAWWWW!!!!!!***

The deafening sound of the Nevermore, now closer than ever, pulled them all out of their reverie.

Looking at the sturdy (if slightly falling down) roof of the stage, they all hurried to it. Yuzu was lagging behind a bit, still helping Sawatari who chose the worst time to come to his senses; right when one of the razor feathers had stuck in the floor right behind them.

"Gah! What's going on?!" he asked Yuzu, his legs feeling a little wobbly.

"No time to explain. Giant flying Grimm on our tail," she said, signaling to the sky. Sawatari didn't need any further explanation and matched her pace.

Once they all got under it, it was time to make up a game plan.

"This thing isn't going to hold against another attack," started Masumi, pointing out the pointy ends of the feathers stuck in the outside of the roof.

"What can we do? That thing can fly, and we can't," asked Hokuto.

"Can't you make it explode?" asked Masumi.

"Any explosion that big would expand and burn down the entire forest, and us with it," he answered, with his hands running through his hair in exasperation.

"Maybe, if we keep it still for a couple moments… Any chance you can summon a glyph that big?" she was now asking Yaiba.

"No. If it keeps flying around, and even then mere seconds aren't enough to make an attack big enough to kill it," responded Yaiba in a defeated tone.

"What can we do?" asked Yuya now to Sawatari, since Yuzu, Gongenzaka and Reiji were busy keeping the feather attacks off their makeshift refuge and Yuya's and Masumi's bullets could only cause so much damage.

The question hanged out in the air, all of them looking around at each other's faces; none of them with a practical answer.

Panic only grew when they all felt the wind picking up; the Nevermore was now flying lower than ever.

"This is the only way out." Came the answer from Reiji, who somehow had gotten himself from the entrance to the back of the place where he revealed a well entrance, covered with some boards.

"Look at the burnt dents, these are recent!" exclaimed Yuzu, recharging her gun. "There's burnt gunpowder and Dust remains too!" she added.

"I believe this is why we never found anyone on the way back," Reiji said as a matter of explanation.

So this was it? An underground passage was their way out of this? It seemed too good to be true. Not that the idea of going below earth thrilled him, but Sawatari wasn't about to be picky.

"Reiji?! Yuzu?! Get back here! I need to recharge!" yelled Gongenzaka from his spot, but just as Yuzu aimed and Reiji was about to heed, he stopped.

"Gongenzaka!! Expand your Gravity Field now!" ordered Reiji. His tone carried such an urgency that the big dude didn't waste time asking why and obeyed.

Around them, the structure finally fell to pieces, and right before them was the Nevermore's crimson eyes, staring at them with hunger. It kept thrashing around, somehow still in the air and cawing at them.

In between it and its prey stood Gongenzaka with his body so taut, Sawatari could almost swear if he took a single step a crater would be formed.

He also got the memo that his body wouldn't escape the crash from such force.

He looked at how Yaiba ran around the thing and tried to summon a glyph, but for some reason, his whole body got expelled when the glyph clashed with the weird atmosphere of Gongenzaka's barrier.

Masumi turned around, looking helpless for a moment before fixing her eyes on him, and he saw the gears turning in her head as she came to some type of realization.

"Sawatari," said Masumi, hurrying to his side. "Lock it in position," she ordered him.

"What?" he asked her, appalled.

"You saw what happened! Yaiba can't do it with the thing on! It clashes with his glyphs! You've done this before, I saw you damn it!" she yelled. "Look at him! Gongenzaka isn't going to hold it off for much longer."

Neither would he; did she forgot that it had been that stunt that had gotten them so out of their intended path in the first place? It had been the wildest and least pleasant ride ever.

Even so…

"Fine," he relented. Masumi sighed with relief and told him what he had to do; he knew he was going to regret this.

"Well, I guess it's up to the great Sawatari to save everyone again," he all but exclaimed. He would be damned if he didn't take his chance to boast.

After all, he would be lying if he said he didn't enjoy the incredulous looks they all gave him when he stepped around Gongenzaka's force field (or whatever it was supposed to be) and activated his Cendrillon D'Enfers; he made sure to add all the Dust he could into it.

When the wires had successfully wrapped around the giant bird, he sharpened the hold until the hungry caws turned into howls of agony.

"Gongenzaka, at my signal, drop the field!" Masumi told him. He looked exhausted and she hoped the growl was meant to be an affirmative.

She looked around for a second, taking note of where everyone was. Sawatari was still holding the Nevermore without breaking a sweat (of course that was Gongenzaka's merit, not his) and Yaiba and Hokuto were both in position.

 _'It's now or never,'_ she thought with a heavy sigh.

"NOW!!" she commanded.

It all happened in slow motion. As Gongenzaka fell to his knees, aided by Yuya, the Nevermore, free but wounded by the sharp wires, started to erratically trash against them. For a split second, Sawatari had a panicked look and almost got pulled off the ground again.

A teal-green glyph was summoned by Yaiba and then time stopped, quite literally for both the Nevermore and Sawatari (being in the glyph range); that was hers and Hokuto's cue.

It was precious seconds they couldn't afford to waste.

With his poleaxe now made into a bladed whip, and her sickle ready on hand, they went to opposite sides of the Nevermore's neck.

Hokuto aimed from below, and Masumi, taking a jump for a better momentum, struck from above.

***SWASH* *SLASH***

.

.

.

She almost didn't want to open her eyes. If they had failed, they would all be dead, but as she heard a heavy thump and several relived sighs, she allowed herself a smile before turning to the scene.

Sawatari looked both relieved and scared out of his mind, but he still took his chance to make a pose and claim he had it all under control. Yaiba and Hokuto had pained but triumphant looks on their faces.

Gongenzaka seemed a bit out of it and his shoulders were being held up by Yuya, but looked otherwise fine. Reiji and Yuzu, who had been ready to strike in case of a failure, had their stances relaxed, and Reiji put away his bow, looking with clinical interest at the chopped head in front of him.

Considering its size, Masumi guessed it would take a while for it to fade away.

"That was amazing!" said Yuya, having appeared in a flash right before her, with a starry look in his eyes. Masumi assumed that Gongenzaka was good to go down the well, if he left his side.

She could have said lots of things, could rub it in his face, but instead she just pointed at Sawatari and told him.

"Wouldn't have done it without my partner."

Masumi would have expected to see him fuming like before, or making some other incredulous stare. Instead, Yuya just made a sheepish face and nodded in agreement.

∞

The entrance on the (now former) dancing stage had led them to a surprisingly ample set of stairs, where they all could confirm was full of recent footprints in the dirt that covered them. After their encounter with the Nevermore, they had all been hesitant of going down there in the dark, but another set of distant cawing and growling had been enough to convince them.

"Ouch! Sawatari watch your step!" said Yuzu after the fifth time her heels had been stepped on.

"Hey, this time it wasn't me that was Yuya!" complained Sawatari.

"Don't put it on me, how could I? I'm behind you," Yuya responded.

Yuzu sighed and rubbed her temples. The banter had been going on and on since they started their descent, and she and Masumi had been tasked with leading the way. It was too dark; even if Masumi had been able to make a small light, it wasn't nearly bright enough to see more than two feet ahead of them.

Masumi had excused herself, saying that she too was limited to the available light, especially since the more they descended the dimmer her light became.

She made a sign for everyone to stop, and expanded her touch and hearing, and putting both hands on the nearest wall.  _'Those vibrations…'_ she didn't want to say it out loud.

"What's the matter?" asked Gongenzaka. Of course he had noticed her getting all tense.

"Do you want the good news or the bad news first?" she asked the group.

"Ugh just get on with it," said Hokuto.

"There appears to be a chamber right below of us. There are other paths, but they all lead to dead-ends."

"…And the good news?" asked Sawatari with a faux hopeful tone. He had started to break into cold sweat and had been the most hesitant to come down here.

"Sawatari, I believe that was the good news," responded Reiji from the far back - he had insisted he would stand better guard from the back - while Sawatari's face now seemed completely drained of color. Reiji looked questionably at her, wanting confirmation.

"Yes, I think that's where we are supposed to be headed to," she corroborated. "The bad news is that the only way down is…" she swallowed a little before continuing, "…this"

She walked a little past Masumi and signaled at a point in the ground. It was another tunnel, barely wide enough to let them fall through one by one. The darkness wouldn't allow them to see for how long it went.

For long seconds, nothing but the echoing silence of the place was heard.

"You're joking right? Please say it was a joke," stammered Sawatari, going backwards until he was stopped by Gongenzaka.

"Great…who goes first?" asked Yaiba to no one in particular.

"I'll do it," said Reiji moving forward next to Yuzu. Crouching next to the tunnel, he adjusted his glasses and asked, "How solid would you say the walls are in this place?"

"Pretty solid," she answered.

He gave her a long appreciative look before answering.

"Good," he simply said.

And without saying another word, they all watched as Reiji's body gradually obscured until it looked like a shadow and then …it was just gone. It had rendered them speechless, and neither of them moved for what felt like several minutes.

"I think it's safe to say none of us saw that coming," commented Masumi with a raised eyebrow. "Too bad he didn't offer a ride," she complained.

"I doubt that's how his semblance works," supplied Yuzu, feeling the now familiar shiver run down her back. Without mentioning the way he stared at her letting her know that he knew she had lied… or maybe she was just paranoid. Yuzu wasn't sure she wanted to learn the answer.

"Well, nothing ventured, nothing gained," commented Gongenzaka making his way to the front too.

"Great! How about I stand guard and wait for you up here?" offered Sawatari with a trembling voice.

Everyone's reactions were a unanimous _'Are kidding me?'_ expression, but Yuzu knew he wasn't. Maybe he had a thing about closed spaces?

"Oh, for god's sake you gutless-" started Yaiba, but Masumi stopped him. She stood face to face with Sawatari, positioning her arms on his shoulders.

"Listen, do you trust me? Your partner?" she asked him in the most resolute tone.

"Y-yes? I mean, yes, of course!" he assured her, and despite herself, Yuzu believed him.

"Excellent," she said with a dazzling smile…which quickly turned into a wicked one as she realized how Masumi had been pushing Sawatari right to the entrance of the tunnel, and with the same motion she pushed him right into it. The only thing heard was Sawatari's screaming.

"PAPAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" the echo remained for a couple seconds more than the actual scream.

"What?" she claimed in a defensive tone, noticing their stares. "Did any of you have a better idea?" she said jumping into the tunnel too.

"Good point. Off we go," said Yuya with a shrug, jumping right after her.

∞

On top of the Beacon's Cliffs that faced the red forest, some of the (now official) students were chatting around and congratulating each other. Some of them were even showing off some of the non-fatal wounds they'd gotten. The ones who did require medical attention had been sent to the infirmary, but among the stories shared there had been one thing that had caught Glynda's attention.

"You sent them down there?" asked the woman with a very bewildered voice, not that it was overly apparent, but with the years he had come to recognize her subtle mannerisms.

"It felt appropriate, all matters considering…" he answered, waiting for her outburst.

But it never came. Instead, as Ozpin looked to the professor, she looked like she was trying very hard not to snap at him. Her brows furrowed, lips firmly pressed together and contracted pupils. Really he should have known she would never disrespect him, especially not in front of the students

"…May I ask why you thought so?" she asked with a heavy sigh, clearly fighting the impulse to rub her temples in his presence.

There were way too many reasons; a number of them he wasn't ready just yet to share with her. Not because he thought she couldn't handle it, but because she would inevitably try to interfere or just plain stop it. Her heart was in the right place, except … it wouldn't work just yet if she knew.

"I am aware that we haven't disturbed the place in years, but you have read the reports, Glynda." He took a sip of coffee before fixing a look on her. "Don't worry. I have no intentions of involving them so soon, but they are already moving again, and I have reasons to believe…"

"…The seals wore off." finished Glynda,

"All I want is a small confirmation," he said, looking in the distance.

∞

It hadn't been his intention to freak out his classmates as he probably did, but he always believed in stepping up as an example rather than just bark out orders. As he surfed through the walls, he was aware of a sinister presence from within the tunnel net.

So he had been right; he had noticed Yuzu's unwillingness to explain the actual nature of the _'bad news,'_  which, considering the place, there weren't that hard to guess. She would definitely have to explain herself at some point.

Coming off the walls had been easy enough. He adjusted his sight to the (un)natural glow the chamber gave from the walls but after being in the dark for over half an hour was not easy.

***Thump***

"Ugh, my back! When they get down here I-" he heard Sawatari complain. "Wow, what in the world is this place?" he questioned, apparently forgetting about his apparent pain.

Several more consecutive landing noises were heard before any of them could engage in conversation.

"That was actually kind of fun, you know? Like that water slide on my birthday; best party ever," stated Yuya.

"You mean the one where you crashed into the neighbor's fence and destroyed their rose garden?" asked Yuzu with an amused smile, which left Yuya with an embarrassed grin.

"Didn't you break a rib afterwards?" asked Gongenzaka, to which Yuya just muttered something that sounded suspiciously like: _'Still worth it.'_

"Oh? That's sounds like quite a show," commented Masumi.

"Yeah, I would totally pay to watch it," agreed Hokuto with a knowing grin.

"I'll say, any chance someone uploaded it to… where in the world are we?" he asked with an awed voice.

"Beats me," replied Yuya, finally noticing his surroundings.

It was a circular chamber with tons of small lights coming from the ceiling, all of them with different shades of pink, blue, yellow, green, and purple, which gave the place an eerie feeling. It made it feel…maybe what other people would call cozy? Nothing like what he had felt in the walls.

In the center of the room there was a disk-like monument with various embossings. Reiji recognized as flowers, wind and watery shapes.

It really was beautiful and surprisingly well conserved for being in a musty underground environment. Someone let out an appreciative whistle at the sight.

There was an exit on the far back. Reiji noticed a plate on top of it, but the letters were in a dialect he didn't recognize.

"It's beautiful," said in awe Yuzu. "Those lights coming from the wall…is that Dust?" she asked aloud.

"No," said Masumi equally awed, but being far more subtle about it. "Those are colored quartzes. They do form inside rock layouts but …" Whatever she was about to say died down when she caught sight of the images carved on the walls.

"Look! It's the _Moon Princess_!" exclaimed Sawatari, signaling to a carving of a girl resting inside of a moon-shaped crib. "And over there: the _Tale of The Two Brothers_ , _The Shallow Sea_ , and _The Girl in the Tower_..." he kept on naming tales.

"Oh, you're right! Look, it's _The Ocean Gem_!" exclaimed Masumi and Yaiba behind him.

And then they were joined by the others, even the previously sour-faced Hokuto was now gushing at some of the images, not to mention Yuya and Yuzu who seemed to be trying to look for their favorite ones.

"Hey Hokuto, look! I found one with _The Seven Sisters_ ," said Yaiba and Hokuto hurried to check on it.

"Damn, I wish I had my scroll on me. I want a picture of this!" he exclaimed. Sadly all the first-years had to give them off before the initiation.

"Look Yuzu, _The Crystal Rose_ and the _Sky's Sanctuary_ ," said Yuya now. Instead of looking at them, Yuzu seemed amused.

"Hey Yuya, recognize this one?" she asked then with a singsong voice.

"Wha- Oh come on! Would you let it go already?" he said with an annoyed face.

Reiji neared the wall Yuzu was pointing at. It was the image of four dragons imprisoned in mountains from which four rivers seemed to be born from.

"What's the matter? Don't you know this one?" asked Yuzu with a raised eyebrow. He actually did recognize this one.

" _The Four Dragons_?" he half-stated, half-asked to them. Rather than answering Yuzu just giggled and Yuya crossed his arms in a defensive fashion and walked over to Gongenzaka, the only onewho was still examining the central piece of the chamber.

"Don't worry. It's nothing you said. He's just sulking," Yuzu informed him. "Say Reiji, see any of your favorite fairytales here?" she asked him now.

His eyes were then drawn to another image next to that one. It was a castle-like figure surrounded by human figures and Grimm alike, and on top of it was a piece of Dust shining above them.

"….As interesting as this is, we are supposed to be looking for the relics," he told her, adjusting his glasses. He really didn't know that many of them.

"Gotta say that I don't know the story behind this one," said Yuya, snapping their attention back at the circular monument. For the first time they noticed that the surface didn't just have ornate engravings; it was divided into four sections by four divisions fashioned after compass hands and each one depicted a different moon facet with a respective landscape: trees, mountains, a lake, and sand dunes.

"This isn't a story Yuya. It looks like a calendar of sorts and the workmanship of these must be ancient. I don't recognize it from anywhere," said Gongenzaka, they were rather simple actually, what called attention to them were the incrusted crystalized flowers adorning each section.

"Are those real jewels?" asked Sawatari, looking at the shining flowers embedded into the metallic emboss, and looking how some of them were missing.

"Wait! I see it now! It's the Kingdoms!" exclaimed Yuzu. "The Forests of Vale, the Deserts of Vacuo, the Swamps from Mistral, and the Snowy Mountains of Atlas!" she exclaimed pointing at the full, waning, waxing and new moons on each one respectively.

"…And your point is?" asked an unimpressed Sawatari.

"Don't you see? These are the relics!" exclaimed Hokuto now. "Look, these are all flowers native to each kingdom!" he said, detaching a purple one from the Vale carving.

Right on cue, they all took one of them. Reiji pondered over a red rose but discarded it over a blue one. Gongenzaka looked deep in thought and it was Yuzu who handed him a yellow one, while Yuya seemed indecisive over them.

"Do any of you get the feeling that maybe we shouldn't be here?" asked Gongenzaka, looking at the same spot on the ceiling Masumi's attention was intent on now.

"Do you feel it too? I mean, look at those quartzes over there," Masumi said, pulling everyone's attention to the ceiling again. "They are clear and cut. That's not how they look when first mined. Someone went to lots of trouble to embed them back in there." Sensing the way all of them looked at her in a questioning way, she sighed and continued: "My dad is a jeweler, okay? He practically spits gemstones facts at every opportunity. Anyway I think the quartzes are meant for some purpose…" she finished, lost in thought.

"Like those so-called healing and meditation gurus from TV?" asked an amused Hokuto.

"Not like that you dolt," she said. "One of the most ancient uses of quartzes was for warding off evil, but also for representing royalty or at least very important people, priests and warriors, they said it gave them strength…and it also signaled a link – sometimes a guide - to the afterlife."

As they all contemplated the new information, Reiji noticed Yuzu was now looking tense again as she too seemed to catch on to what both of them tried to explain.

"Very well. We have the relics, so I think we should go now, and don't touch anything else," said Gongenzaka to them in a wary voice.

"Why?" asked Yuya from behind them, seemingly unable to be still since he had started to pace around.

"Because this is a crypt," he answered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here you go people! This is actually one of my favorites and yeah I know this is less action packed than the last one but hopefully the next one will make up for it, also pay attention and be careful with the Crypt's Keeper :P
> 
> Thanks and good wishes to AnimeGirl 144 for the betareading.


	9. 8.- The Spinning of Seasons

_'A what?!'_ Yuya wanted to ask, but the current mood kept him from it. Somehow, it felt inappropriate.

"Hey, anybody know what this thing is supposed to say?" asked Yaiba, pointing at the plaque on top of the tunnel. It looked vaguely like their own language, but it looked too complicated for him to read. "I recognize the characters of 'hope' and maybe that's a 'leave'? But that's about it," finished Yaiba with a shrug.

"Oh, I know that one!" exclaimed Gongenzaka, pointing to a particularly difficult one. "That's for…abyss," he finished with a somber voice.

"Wow, crypts? Abyss? Isn't that just lovely?" asked Masumi.

Then a faint snicker was heard. It was humorless and fell like a rock into the silence, but Masumi shrugged when she noticed everyone's stares.

"Sorry, but am I the only one who thinks the Headmaster has quite a sense of humor?" she asked. "Come on, do I have to explain it? 'Shrine?' 'Crypt?' Both can be used equally depending on the context," she explained with an exasperated voice and her hands doing quotation marks.

"I don't get it. What's a 'crypt' anyway?" The word made Yuya think of a mummy reading scary stories to children, or a bunch of dudes wearing robes and using funny masks, but if it could be read the same, there couldn't be that big of a difference right?

"Um, Yuya it's a…" started Yuzu with a doubtful look in her eyes.

"It's a subterranean chamber," finished Hokuto with his fingers pinching the bridge of his nose. "Usually found beneath temples, shrines or churches, used for secret meetings or as burial places. “Something in the description sounded vaguely pulled off a dictionary

Either way, it cleared things up. Crypt, underground chamber, secret meetings, could be a tomb… _'Uh?'_

Looking at the sudden sullen face of Yuya, both Yuzu and Gongenzaka exchanged looks and decided it was time to go...

***brrrrruummm***

_'No, not yet,'_ she realized.

"I wanna go- I mean we got the relics, we can go now right? Please Masumi?" Yuzu heard Sawatari plead with a face so pale that it looked blue even in the faint light and she looked like she was about to heed.

"Wait," said Yuzu in a low but firm voice and felt her pulse racing up before looking back at them. "We can't just walk outside I …There are Grimms waiting for us at the end of the tunnel, lots of them," she finished raising her eyes to meet theirs, and right on cue they started to morph into faces of shock and fear…

***brrrrruummm***

…making the rumble inside her ears become stronger than ever. Maybe she should have kept her mouth shut…

"And you didn't think about telling us? What in the world were you think-" started Masumi, but was interrupted by Reiji making a silencing gesture and signaling for them to listen.

***Brrrrrummmmmmmm***

This time, everyone heard it. Yuzu then felt a hand on her shoulder, and looked up at Reiji, who was giving her a knowing look and felt a knot in her throat.  _'He knew.'_  The gesture held no accusation: a half-hearted attempt at reassurance.

Good thing he seemed to notice the awkwardness and finished the contact, walking over to Masumi.

"We should make a plan then," said Reiji before any panic could break out.

∞

As per Reiji's and Masumi's instructions, they all had their weapons drawn and ready before stepping into the tunnel. The exit tunnel was at first noticeably narrower than the one they had found in the shrine, but far more spacious at the other side, and as soon as Gongenzaka was able to pass through, they took their spots. As they did, they noticed that the entrance was now shut; nothing gloomy about that at all. Especially not about the unnatural-looking glow that made them scrap step one of the… plan.

The Signal people plus Reiji were at the back, with Yuya and Yuzu side by side, Reiji behind them, and Gongenzaka at the very end. At the front was Sawatari, then Hokuto, Masumi and himself.

It would be fine right? He couldn't speak for the lot of people behind them, but they had taken down a freaking Nevermore, whatever lurked in here couldn't be worse…right?

_'Ugh, stupid Yaiba. Just stick to the plan,'_ his mind nagged.

***BRRRRRUUUUUMMMMMMMMM***

The rumble continued to grow in intensity, and with all the crawling sounds seemingly coming from everywhere, it was a surprise that no one started breaking into cold sweats or down right sobbing.

The chirring was next, and then a shriek was heard. Sawatari of course. What part of 'be quiet' did he not understand?

"Ew, sorry it's just this disgusting thing fell in my jacket. Let me just…Uh, guys can I lose control now?" he asked with a trembling voice.

"I told you to keep quiet…" started Masumi.

"Masumi, look!" said Yuzu bringing their attention to Sawatari and a spider crawling on his sleeve, but it was no such thing and as if the white bone shell-like body wasn't enough to reveal its true nature, it had a disgusting black substance joining it to the fabric, which had started to dissolve into smoke.

They all went to stare at the ceiling now. Nothing but figures roughly doubling in size were crawling right atop of them. Their red and white bodies were the only thing fully visible.

Masumi was the first recovering and shot at the one on Sawatari's sleeve. "Now!" she commanded.

They all headed for Sawatari, who used his wires to makeshift a rope that went around everyone's waist.

Then Hokuto, using little explosions, enclosed them in a fire barrier.

Yaiba was next and forced himself to create glyph after glyph in the direction of the (presumed) exit.

"Hokuto, your turn!" yelled Masumi, and then they were propelled forward to such speed that the only things Yaiba was aware of was the countless sparks and the tightening of the rope on his waist.

And then it all stopped, the sunlight temporarily blinding them.

"Ugh, that was quite a trip," he said to the others. Masumi looked good and uninjured. Sawatari too, despite his loud whining. As expected, Hokuto looked tired and seemed to be troubled with getting up.

"Here," said Masumi lending him a hand. "Are you both ok?"

"…Just need a minute," said Hokuto. "Are we sure this is fine? To leave them in there?" he asked, now on his feet.

"That's what we agreed upon with them," responded Masumi, but Yaiba didn't miss the worried look she gave to the cave.

"Yeah, besides, they basically told us that _'It's too crowded here, you would only get in the way.'_  psst, the nerve of them!" exclaimed Sawatari.

"Only Reiji said that," retorted Yaiba.

"Still, did you see how many of those things were in there? I've never even heard of those types of Grimm," Hokuto said again.

"Oh? What's this I'm hearing? Worry for the 'brutes' of Signal?" teased Masumi.

"Ah, well just because I don't like them, doesn't mean I want them dead either, you know?" responded Hokuto, hiding his face.

"I know," said Masumi. "Hey look that's our signal." She was pointing at the blinking LDS badges on the three of them with a grin on her face.

"Ugh really Masumi? Not the moment," chided Yaiba while she just rolled her eyes.

"Off we go then," commented Hokuto, making his way back the cliffs.

∞

Ripping apart those spider-like Grimms with his bare hands was oddly satisfying. After potentially being eaten by a giant bird and then being forced to disrupt a resting place, Gongenzaka had had more than enough for the day.

He couldn't quite get this thrill using just his weapon.

Despite not being able to see Reiji, he knew he had his back and every time any of them got too close to him, a couple of flechettes would pierce the Grimm, turning them into smoke.

Not too far away from him, there were Yuya and Yuzu taking care of the ones on their side.

Yuya took care of the ones crawling on the roof, while Yuzu got rid of the ones on the walls and occasionally crushing them into the ground.

Her sheer and palpable frustration made it so that one single stomp was enough to kill them. She always got so lively in these moments.

He then concentrated on his body and opened up his field once again to see them furiously trying to break through.

Then an arrow came and exploded right into the barriers, making purple tendrils around the whole area and dissolving the remaining Grimms.

Its light faded away on time to see Yuya and Yuzu back to back and surrounded by more of them.

Then Yuzu prepared her machine gun at the same time Yuya jumped right above her positioning and transformed his staff into double chained blades.

In (almost) perfect synchrony, he watched as a whirlwind slashed the outer "circle" and dozens of bullets fired into the surviving ones.

After it was done, they both momentarily disappeared into a dust cloud, only to come out exhausted but mostly unharmed.

"Good job you two," said Reiji, finally stepping out from the walls.

"…Sure whatever," stated Yuya in a begrudging tone.

"Thanks. It was your plan after all," responded Yuzu.

"Gongenzaka, do you know about these things?" asked Reiji as he stood closer to the smoking remains of the Grimms left behind.

"Not sure," he answered honestly. "I may have read about them in some old text of my family, but I need my father's verification."

"It's ok Gongenzaka. There'll be plenty of time for that after today," Yuzu reassured him with her usual smile. "For now we should head on to the Cliffs. I still feel a bit worried for Masumi and the others," she finished, pulling out the pin Masumi gave her and pressing it so it started blinking.

"It was necessary. There was no practical way to fight with all eight of us here," stated Reiji.

"Oh come on! Did you guys see what Hokuto could do? Why couldn't he just have burned them all up? Eh Reiji?" Yuya asked accusatorily.

"You explain it to me, Yuya. Were you willing to risk an oxygen's combustion suffocating us, not before depleting our aura's and giving us third degree burns at least? Before or after being buried under debris?" countered Reiji with a raised eyebrow.

They stared each other down for a couple more seconds before gearing away from each other.

When he and Yuzu crossed looks of their own, he knew they both reached the same conclusion: It would be for the better if they both kept their interaction at a minimum.

***BRRRRRUUUUMMMMM***

"No…" muttered Yuzu.

"There's no end to them!" Yuya exclaimed in a desperate tone.

From the ceiling, eight bright red pupils were seen through one of the holes left by the Grimms before. When it caught sight of them, they squinted and everything around them was rumbling, debris falling from all directions.

A couple legs were now forcing its way through the rock.

Reiji noted that Yuya was nearing aura's exhaustion. Yuzu seemed to be better on that regard but just by a little. He himself wasn't feeling all up to another barrage and while Gongenzaka had by far the best condition, he couldn't possibly summon another barrier.

"…We have no choice but to retreat," he informed them. That's right; there was no need to fight anymore. They had the relics and the others were safe too.

But as they all turned around, preparing to exit, another set of spidery legs stood in their way, finally joining its pairs and the body of a giant spider that materialized above their heads. On the opposite end were red eyes with a huge bone-like jaw and a wide, open mouth.

Remembering the black spit from before, Reiji knew they couldn't let it hit them.

He plunged to a safe distance of the spider and fired at the Grimm before it could ooze at the others.

Rather than plunge again to the exit, he ran. It would do no good if the spider lost interest in him before the others could escape.

The moment he was temporarily blinded by the sunlight, he felt himself being shoved to the floor.

Looking above at the hungry eyes brought weird memories to his head, but this time, his weapon laid out of his reach.

A burning sensation struck him from the abdomen and he forced himself to look at the black substance on his skin, still connected to the snout of the spider.

"You monster!" He heard before seeing lots of lights coming at the Grimm. It was coming from Yuzu and Yuya's weapons.

Both attacks smashed most of the plates and spikes on the main body of the spider, long enough for it to stumble and stop his assault on him.

Grabbing his weapon he used the dagger mode to cut through the spit still joined to the Grimm's mouth.

Once he was free, he concentrated all his aura on his abdomen, and the burning feeling downed to a swelling palpitation on his skin.

Reiji then looked around to see Yuzu and Yuya still trying to kill the spider, but it was too sturdy for them, even without its plates.

This was not good; they needed to regroup and then…

"You should stay put," said a voice behind him. "You are in no condition to keep fighting," declared Gongenzaka.

"I'm aware but…." Then it dawned on him than it was only chasing the two of them. Both him and Gongenzaka may as well be invisible to it. He looked up to Gongenzaka for answers but he looked equally puzzled.

He looked worried, shaken even at the realization.

Still, he went on his way to draw his weapon and the buzzing sound of it finally caught the beast's attention, which had currently Yuya pinned down against a tree.

Rather than charge at them, it straightened up, and seemed to be looking between the four of them. It made a strange muted sound and then it just walked away from the tree, freeing Yuya, and moved past them, entering the cave again. It didn't bother to spare them a second look.

"I'm not the only one who thinks that was weird, right?" asked Yuya, only to be met with silence.

"We should get back," simply answered Reiji. The thought of those red eyes clearly assessing its situation, _thinking_ , lingered on his mind.

∞

"Welcome back," greeted Ozpin as soon as they were within walking distance of the group. Yuzu and Yuya had been being carried on Gongenzaka's wide back while he climbed the Cliffs.

Both had tried to deny such measures, but after both had tried and failed to hide the untreated burns on their arms and Yuzu's legs it was impossible to deny him.

Yuya was actually grateful for it; since they had left the cave every step felt like an enormous effort and his stomach had been grumbling ever since then too. He craved something sweet, sugary and full of carbs; nothing better to take the drowsiness off his body.

So as soon as he caught sight of their stuff still piled on one of the nearby trees, he immediately made a motion for Gongenzaka to let go…

…Only to feel his legs give in into the grass out of soreness as soon as he landed.

"It's ok Gongenzaka, I can walk as well," Yuzu said and the big guy heeded. Once she found a steady pace, she was about to go grab their stuff when she bumped into Reiji, holding them out already.

"Thank you," she simply said, and Yuya couldn't grab faster at a pack of cookies she was offering to him. As she checked her scroll, they all saw Professor Goodwitch approaching with scroll in hand.

"Congratulations, you made it alive, and since I assume neither of you would have returned empty handed …" She looked at them expectantly which they all took as the cue to show their relics. At this she nodded and typed some more stuff into her scroll. "…Excellent, now since you're the last people we were waiting for, please gather around the Headmaster for further instructions, “she finished and was about to leave, but then as she seemed to really look at them fixating where they were burned, and she looked a bit…worried?

"Is something the matter, Professor?" asked Reiji, adjusting his glasses.

"The three of you need to go to the infirmary ** _, now_** ," she demanded looking at him, Yuzu and Yuya. "Tell the nurses that you need some unguent."

"Really? It was burning for a while, but I think its fine now," commented Yuya, munching on another cookie.

"Yeah, I mean we don't want to bother them for something like this," agreed Yuzu. "I'm sure it will go away after we have lunch…"

Reiji said nothing but as he passed his hands over his wound, he seemed to silently agree with them.

"Guys, if the Professor is saying you should go, then…" started Gongenzaka only to be interrupted by none other than the headmaster.

"Glynda, it's getting late. Is something the matter here?" he asked, his presence had predictably put a knot in both Yuzu's and Gongenzaka's throats, who refused to meet his eyes at all.

Yuya just felt bad that he was out of snacks. He looked at Glynda as she gave an exasperated sigh and took a hold of his arm.

"You tell me, Headmaster," she said, bringing to attention the burn going from his forearm to the elbow. Yuya, on the other hand, felt like sweating a little at the sudden contact. It felt oddly…familiar.

Ozpin stopped mid-sip of his coffee and went to look for the ones on Reiji's abdomen and on Yuzu's wrist and ankle. He made what Yuya could best describe as a sour face and shook his head.

That couldn't mean anything good.

"Please young ones, I know you are still on an adrenaline high and feel all tough and invincible after passing the test," he said in very solemn tone and Yuya prepared himself for a lecture, but then he smiled and said, "But when Professor Glynda of all people says you need medical attention, you must listen to her." The smile turned from pleasant to amused.

"Y-yes!" he responded in place of Yuzu, who still seemed busy shrinking in size and avoiding to look at Ozpin, and even Reiji looked somewhat awkwardly at the professors.

"Good," he said, looking satisfied and looked at how Glynda was still holding his arm. "After all you don't want her giving you another week worth of duties right?" said Ozpin with another amused smile, even when he felt his arm free Yuya could only nod and Yuzu finally seemed to gather the courage to return it.

"Thank you Headmaster. We will be going now," Yuzu said with a very nervous but happy voice.

"Go on, I'm sure your classmates will be filling you in on the details." He then put a hand on Yuzu's shoulder. "Oh, and congratulations Ms. Hiragi. Send regards to your father in my stead if it's not a bother."

Yuzu was just frantically nodding her head and looked ready to faint out of happiness. Oh well, maybe Ozpin wasn't so lame after all, thought Yuya looking at Yuzu walking on clouds.

∞

After getting the unguent and a couple of compresses that the nurse insisted putting on the three of them, they found Gongenzaka waiting for them in the hallway, accompanied by the LDS people; yes even Sawatari was among them.

"How did it go?" asked Masumi first.

"Well enough, but I still think Professor Glynda went a bit overboard," said Yuya, but he had gotten off lightly. At least he only had to deal with one unguent appliance. Yuzu on the other hand? Three on her ankle and another two on her wrist.

Not to mention Reiji had been forbidden to leave the infirmary if he wouldn't let himself be bandaged. He didn't make a hassle of it, but if his constant rubbing on the place was any indication, he was not happy about it either.

"Good, because all the students including the upperclassmen were called for the closure ceremony," said Hokuto. "We thought you guys should know, not because we were worried or anything."

"Right, which is why you insisted on waiting for them rather than, you know, relay the message to him?" Yaiba said, pointing at Gongenzaka.

Yuzu left out a little laugh at the way Hokuto was trying to hide his face while they all walked to the amphitheater.

"Uh? Sawatari, weren't you injured too?" she remembered and went to look for any wounds, but he had already changed clothes.

In response, he just scrunched his face and Yuzu could tell he was preparing for another tirade, but he was shoved to the side by Masumi before he could start.

"Please, as if this guy would ever put himself in the line of fire like that, the only casualty was yet another 'expensive' jacket," commented Hokuto.

"What held you back there anyway?" asked Masumi. "We went on our way because of your signal."

"..." She wondered if she should say it or not, it had seemed like a badly written plot twist in some teen's novel.

"It was because of the injuries. We took a bit of time to put ourselves together," stated Reiji, not even looking at them.

"Oh well, you guys better be more careful next time you decide to play hero," said Yaiba, scratching his cheek.

"Yeah, we'll do that," said Gongenzaka.

"Oh yeah, you guys should read this too," said Yaiba handing them a paper with Beacon's official logo and the title reading:

"LIST OF THE FIRST YEAR TEAM SELECTION FROM THE XX GENERATION"

∞

The audience gathered at the amphitheater continued to applaud as the newly formed team left the podium. Ozpin cleared his voice and continued calling the next team.

"Ken Umesugi, Isao Kachidoki, Shin Takeda and Gen Ankonkuji." He waited for them to take their place in the podium, the screen showed their profiles as well. "The four of you picked the four winter flowers." The screen showed the four relics: two camellias, a jasmine and an orchid. "From this day forward, you will work together as…" This one had proved to be hard to name, but Ozpin was quite proud with the result: "Team Kougetsu (KGSU) led by… Isao Kachidoki!"

After another ovation, he called on the next team.

"Hikage and Tsukikage Fuuma, Michio Mokota and Mieru Hochun." When he heard faint whispers at the last name he remembered the little prodigy girl skipping to her place. She had been granted special permission to attend at just fifteen years old; it was bound to attract some attention. Her short stature even for her age didn't help matters. "The four of you picked the four autumn flowers." A freesia, a sunflower, an iris and a juniper, to be exact. "From this day forward you will work together as Team Half-moon (HFMH) led by…Mieru Hochun!"

The girl in question was now jumping up and down in excitement, but she continued her way after the ovation (and whispers) ended.

"Shingo Sawatari, Masumi Koutsu, Hokuto Shijima and Yaiba Todo." How fitting that the people from Leo Duel School ended all in one team. "The four of you picked the four summer flowers. “The screen now showed a carnation, a gardenia, a hydrangea and a cosmos. "From this day forward you will work together as Team Mist (MSST) led by…Masumi Koutsu!"

"Good job Masumi!" yelled Yuzu Hiragi from the front rows, and he noticed a small smile working its way on the newly appointed team leader. Ozpin secretly approved of the enthusiasm.

"And finally Yuya Sakaki, Noboru Gongenzaka, Yuzu Hiragi and Reiji Akaba." More ovations and whispers over the young heir, they all took their pair formation and waited. "The four of you picked the four spring flowers." On the screen a peony, a cherry blossom, a narcissus and a rose appeared. "From this day forward you will work together as Team Ryuugi (RYGY) led by …Reiji Akaba!"

The Sakaki boy was the only one looking surprised and a bit … sour faced, but Ozpin didn't think it was because he wanted the leadership for himself. Well, they had a lot of time to work out their differences in due time.

And like that, just like that, it was all put into motion.

∞

_'Another day,'_ thought the person inside the cluttered room.

The only sounds reaching the room were the waves crashing against the deck and the occasional cawing of some birds. That is, until his booming voice was heard again, with clenching teeth and an ear pressed against the wall they listened:

"….Look, as much as I love how your 'client' keeps raising the amount, I already told him that the…cargo status is out of my hands," the man said in a falsely apologetic voice.  _'The bastard.'_

"If money won't do it, my boss also has weapons …and Dust! Freshly mined might I add" the fear in the voice was palpable, clearly he had been warned against returning empty-handed.

"Look, I would love it if you could relay a message to your boss: No deal, stop harassing my men and piss off, but…."

A snap and some whimpering was heard, then a single shot… followed by a heavy thump. Breath was lost for many seconds and then someone was tapping at the wall.

"Eavesdropping is not nice, little one, but I hope you enjoyed yourself more than this poor sap…" He gave a dark chuckle. "I did him a favor, if you ask me. Trash like him never get it; money is only worth shit because the higher ups say so. As for weapons? I have little need for them. There will always be bigger, better more destructive weapons if the occasion calls for it. The Dust? That was tempting, but let's just say that market prices are about to go down." A spark and then the faint smell of a cigar reached the air in the room.

He left after another cackle, thankfully, but the heaviness seethed in the chest would just grow even more, adding another scribble on the wall and counting them:

_'1 week, 3 days, and 1 hour.'_

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well that was quite a rollercoaster ...And then a meteor (let's say the moon) fell and the whole Remnant died :P
> 
> Hello to all the people who are still sticking with this story :P sorry but I had some real life things to take care off amongs other things, but the silver lining is that I actually have been writing non-stop in my free time so as I type this I'm already working on the outline of the Volume 1 conclusion :DDD
> 
> I send a hugs to AnimeGirl 144 for for the beta-reading.


	10. 9.- The Best Night Ever

"Hey look! Our dorms are in the same hallway!" exclaimed Yuzu when they finally reached their door.

After the closing ceremony and having their class schedules be sent to their scrolls, the newly inducted students had finally let go of their worries and rushed to the city to celebrate, either with just their new teams or in groups. Even with the bitter taste of knowing Reiji would be their leader, Yuya had been looking forward to let go of some stress.

Of course, as soon as he had proposed the idea, Glynda swept forward and declared that three quarters of Team RYGY (he still wasn't sure how he felt about the name) were mandated by the nurse to rest and _'let the unguent do its job,'_ thus smashing any hopes he had of going out that night.

So, when they found the guys from MSST (of course they had to get a cool name) in the way, he felt too grumpy to care too much about the placement of the rooms.

"Oh hey you guys!" greeted Masumi, who by the looks of it, was supervising the moving of luggages, which included a closet of all things.

"For the last time, Sawatari, there's not enough space to put that ridiculous thing in the room. It's cramped enough as it is!" yelled Hokuto, even giving it a kicking to the side.

"Ridiculous?! Do you even know what you're talking about? It's a piece from the beginning of the century! One of a few left after the Great-"

"I don't care if this _very_ ridiculous thing existed since the dawn of humanity! It's old and it smells like moths! And another thing, what's the deal with all these pillows and blankets?! Did you seriously think they wouldn't provide such basic amenities?"

"I'll have you know that these are 400 hundred thread made of 100% cotton from Vacuo, and besides-"

It didn't look like they were heading anywhere, and Yaiba and Masumi seemed to have lost all interest in any kind of 'supervising' long before they arrived.

"So…Having fun?" asked Yuya.

"You have no idea," deadpanned Yaiba, playing around with his scroll.

"I thought you guys would be going to the city," mentioned Yuzu, eyeing the still going on argument.

"That was the plan, but…" replied Masumi, pointing at her two arguing dorm mates, "…it's safe to say that the ship has sailed." She blew a fleck of hair from her face as she finished.

"If it serves any consolation, we were banned from going too," said Gongenzaka.

"Only the three of us were on medical orders. You could have tagged with one of the groups Gongenzaka," reminded _Reiji_ , of all people.

"Which is why I stayed with _my team_. If we're gonna settle down, you'll need raw strength since you were instructed to _rest_ ," countered the big guy, bringing back to attention that he was the one shouldering _all_ their luggage.

"Yeah! And who are you to comment on that anyway? I mean, sure Gongenzaka is not the most fun loving person out there, but next to you? He would be a great comedian or something," Yuya finished with an accusatory finger waving at Reiji.

"Yuya…" reprimanded Yuzu.

"Fair enough," said Reiji with a smirk of his own, and headed to unlock their dorm. Well, that was no fun. Did anything ever get to this guy?

…Now he understood why the gabble started in the first place. Their so called dorm was nothing but a single room with four beds lined together and two nightstands. There was a door in the far left which he assumed was meant to be the wardrobe, and a small bookshelf attached to the wall in between two huge windows.

And they were supposed to be all cramped up here for the next four years? Yuya always hated cramped places; they were suffocating.

"It seems…cozy?" commented Yuzu, sweat dropping in an attempt to cheer things up.

"It does seem practical," agreed Gongenzaka placing all their stuff in the floor which only reminded Yuya that they still had to make the most of this space with all their things added up.

"Now you understand our predicament?" questioned Masumi, leaning into their door frame, and Yuya didn't miss the theatrical tone in her voice.

Right on cue, a flying pillow passed behind her to hit Sawatari in the face.

"Mmmm, Gongenzaka do you think you can lift the beds?" asked Yuzu from the middle of the room, hands made into a frame and all.

"Sure, no sweat there," he answered, nearing one of them.

"In that case, if we manage to lay the four beds adjacent to the corners of the walls, we can make the most of the space provided," commented Reiji, adjusting his glasses.

"Oh oh! Dibs on the bed next to the windows," Yuya said, immediately with his arm lifted like a child asking to be called upon by a teacher.

"This is not an auction," rebuked Reiji. "It would be better to if we put it to vote."

"Wha-" Yuya was about to start a rant, but a hand on his shoulder stopped him; it was Yuzu's.

"It's ok Reiji, really. I could never sleep tight with all the currents from the window anyway" she told him.

"Same here, I have no special requirements for sleeping," added Gongenzaka. While Yuya was a heavy sleeper, good old family discipline had taught the big guy to not be picky about such things.

Yuya tried very hard not to look too elated when looking back at Reiji smiling, but he knew he had failed miserably.

Sighing, their team leader (he tried not to snort at the thought) just adjusted his glasses and made his way out of the dorm.

"I will be heading to the library for some reading material," he said.

"But your stuff…" tried Yuzu.

"Just put it next to whichever bed is free by the time you're settled," he responded, already in the hallway.

And only when his steps were no longer heard did Yuya feel like relaxing, up until a pillow came crashing onto his face.

∞

"I'm glad to hear from you, sir," said Nakajima from the screen currently from his room, without his suit jacket and a loose tie. It was a bit disconcerting.

He should have checked if he had clocked out already or not.

"You can tell mother that initiation went without major incident." He looked at how the man released a breath and his back didn't look as tense anymore. "I assume she'll be satisfied to know I was made team leader as well," he added.

"That's…excellent news." The pause caught his attention. Did he expect a different outcome?

"Is Reira around?" he asked, not wanting to beat around the bush.

"No sir, I apologize. He is currently dining. Should I-"

"No need to interrupt his meals." He ate little enough as it was. "How has he taken my absence?"

"He seems doing well sir, but…" the man stopped, obviously worrying about overstepping his boundaries.

"Yes?" he encouraged, fighting the urge to drum his fingers on the speaker.

"It would do him well if Reira could be updated more…regularly about your status. Are you positive you can't send him letters?" asked Nakajima.

"…I already considered that option, but it's too impersonal." Not to mention that any letters would undoubtedly end up on either of his parent's desks rather than in Reira's hands.

"I see," accepted the older man.

"I will try to text him on a semi-daily basis," Reiji conceded.

"That's perfect sir. Will that be all?" he questioned, looking visibly relieved.

"Yes, good evening Nakajima…and take care." _'…of Reira'_ was the unspoken command.

The man nodded and disconnected almost at the same time he did. That went as well as expected. Now, it was time for some research.

Engravings, flowers, cryptic messages, and bright red eyes crossed his mind as he headed to the Ancient History section.

∞

**"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!"**

Yuya, standing on top of Sawatari's precious furniture, held imaginary mic in his hands. "It is with great honor that I inaugurate the annual pillow fight to commemorate the inauguration of this …hallway belonging to Teams RYGY and MSST!"

Masumi joined in the roars of the other six people in the hallway. She had to admit, the boy had presence.

"This gracious event has been created in order to settle the dispute over this fine piece of history I'm currently standing on. People have chosen their sides and accepted the stakes, which are written on this agreement I'm holding," he continued, holding a notebook sheet with a hastily scribbled paragraph on it, along with several signatures.

"On this side, advocating for the 'throwing away' option we have the Luminous Knight and the Constellar Warrior!" Yuya yelled, holding both of their hands in the air.

"On the side partaking for the 'keep it/we can work it out' option, we have the Melodious Diva and the one and only ….Neo New Sawatari?" he asked while reading the name Swatari chose for himself and then just shrugged.

"And finally, on the side of 'I don't care, I'm just bored' your humble host the Pendulum Magician and the Time Samurai! And because of that, I'll leave the refereeing task to our resident pillow war champion who didn't want to choose a side: Gongenzaka!"

Masumi watched as Yuya stepped down and gave Gongenzaka a bunch of papers (including the agreement) and even pretended to hand him the imaginary mic. Despite his reluctance, he just sighed and cleared his throat, continuing the 'job'.

"Ladies and gentlemen, remember that as per the treaty, all weapons and semblances are off the table. The projectiles will be the pillows distributed fairly to each team. There's no time limit, and the winning team will be the last one standing. Aside from those terms, everything else is fair game. On your marks, ready, set, go!"

The first attack came courtesy of Hokuto and his pent up frustration, which predictably hit Sawatari right in the face, but was avenged by none other than Yuzu and two consecutive blows to the stomach.

Then, before she could scream victory, a pillow hit her from the back, right into the nape from none other than Yuya. Masumi didn't miss her chance and kicked five pillows at him, which were unfortunately intercepted by Yaiba, who redirected them to Sawatari and Yuzu.

This was so stupid, so silly and so much _fun._ Masumi couldn't even remember the last time she had partaken in a pillow fight.

Then, from the being buried under the pillows came both members of the 'work it out' team, emerging armed and ready to pummel a barrage of munition against the bored ones.

Both of them ended up on the floor with some feathers stuck in their mouths.

"Yuya- I mean the Magician and the Samurai are eliminated! Now everything depends on these two teams. While having a successful attack this time, their ammunitions were severely depleted while the other remaining team has plenty of it, not to mention motivation lacked by the bored ones!"

Masumi and Hokuto exchanged looks and prepared their assault on them…only to have another barrage directed at them, bringing Hokuto to his demise falling into a fetal position.

"I can't believe you! Hok- I mean Constellar fellow warrior, don't leave me! Please I was going to let you light fire to that hideous thing!" she exclaimed, holding his hand.

"You forced us into this, Luminous Knight! You had the chance for a peace offering but you chose the battlefield instead. Now surrender to us!" Sawatari exclaimed with a dramatic laughter.

"Keep on dreaming, Sawatari, but you made way for your own grave. Now you're out of weapons and I will make you pay for my fallen comrade!"

Then she went about throwing pillow after pillow. At this point, all the hallway had was a bunch of scattering feathers floating in the air and blocking their view.

"Out of weapons you say? Well think again Luminous Knight, because once again you have underestimated the Melodious Diva!"

"AAAARRRRHHHHGGGG!"

The only thing Masumi saw after hearing that familiar howl was the terrified face of Sawatari crashing into and then on top of her.

The world was spinning and it looked so pretty with so many specks of light, dust and feathers in the air.

"It's official! With a splendorous revival, the annual Pillow Fight prize has been earned by Yuz- the Melodious Diva and although in an unusual way by…Neo Sawatari!" exclaimed Gongenzaka picking them both up from the floor.

"Wow, I'm so proud of you Gongenzaka. You really got into character this time!" complimented Yuya.

"Um, yeah, well don't get used to it. That was still a ridiculous situation," he said, pretending to cough little.

"Can you put me down? I feel like throwing up," begged Sawatari from his place on Gongenzaka's shoulder.

"Here Masumi," she heard Yuya above her, offering his hand.

She took it and they both looked at each other's faces covered in feathers and both started laughing wholeheartedly, causing her stomach to hurt and she felt tears forming at the corner of her eyes.

"That was really fun," she said, finally recovering and letting the contentedness settle in her person.

"When in doubt, there's nothing a good pillow fight can't fix, right?" he responded with a cheeky smile.

"I guess so. Now I have no choice but to wake up every morning to see that thing in my room," she remarked in a defeated tone.

"It's not so bad. It's just big and old, and smells kind of musty," he attempted.

"Ha-ha, not helping Yuya." She sighed and continued. "Either way, I wanted to apologize for the things I said back in the shrine," she finally admitted, playing with a strand of hair.

"It's not such a big deal," Yuya said in a sheepish voice.

"Yes it was. Look, sometimes when I feel stressed, I say some really awful things that I later end up regretting, but even then that is not an excuse."

"I do the same too, and really, you were right about defending Sawatari. I was just kinda fooling around, but sometimes I don't know when to stop and end up making stupid jokes that nobody finds funny, even me," he said in a muted voice.

"So, how about we call it even then?" she suggested, a bit relieved to hear his sort of admission too.

"Deal. Now we have to decide who gets the spoils of war," he said with a grin.

When they finally settled the spoils of war 'meeting,' the only thing left to do was move the newly acquired nightstands into the room of Team RYGY.

Yuzu knew Yuya found it weird, but she actually liked the ring of it.

As per the agreement, Sawatari was allowed to keep his closet, as long as he accepted that it was to be shared by all the members of MSST and that it needed a serious clean up, in turn making for two useless pieces of furniture in their room, which Yuzu had been more than glad to take as 'prize.'

Now they could save themselves from any discussion about whose things would go in either place and have one for each member. It was almost too good to be true.

"Um, Yuya, where are Reiji's things?" she asked, noticing his practically empty side of the room.

"Dunno. I think they winded up under the bed?" he said in a disinterested voice, while playing around with some of the feathers left from their game.

"Yuya, he asked us to do **one** single thing, and you couldn't be bothered to even check that they wouldn't be trashed around?" reprimanded Gongenzaka, who was fixing his bed while Yuzu started to look under the beds for them.

"Hmmpf." She heard as a matter of answer. She guessed he plopped his head into his pillow, like he did every time he was grumpy.

"Very well. What exactly is your problem with Reiji Akaba?" asked Gongenzaka. "You seemed to be getting along before the initiation."

"I don't know, ok? It's just he's so…weird," he said, refusing to look up from the pillow. "Ugh! I know you're giving _'the look,'_ but please don't pretend I'm the only one who noticed," he said,finally sitting up on his bed.

"He has an …unusual way of approaching things, I'll give you that much," agreed Gongenzaka with a hand on the nape of his neck.

"And what about you, eh Yuzu? Don't try to pretend he doesn't creep you out at least a teeny tiny bit. I may be a bit oblivious, but even I could tell that much." Yuzu felt a frown making its way on her face but it fell short because she knew Yuya spoke the truth.

"Why does it matter? You saw what he did back in the cave, he distracted that…thing so we could escape remember? Are you going to storm the Headmaster's office demanding that he'd be expelled just because you think he's weird?" she asked.

"Fine! I get it. He's not the worst possible team mate, but so far, he's not a very good leader or else tell me where is he?" asked Yuya, extending his arm to the empty bed next to the door.

As if reinforcing Yuya's statement, an owl had landed outside their windows, howling into the night.

"Talking about it, where is he anyway?" asked Gongenzaka.

"He said he would go to the library…" answered Yuzu, finally finding Reiji's stuff carelessly piled up inside the closet.

∞

_'Nothing.'_

Not a single thing about that place below the earth or about the symbols beyond the same fairytales over and over and all of its variations. He did find some information about the older Grimm, and something about them developing some sense of self with time, which, considering that it was in the same sections that called them Creatures of Darkness, Destruction and Anonymity, it came off as more of a poetic line than an actual fact.

It was disappointing that even the largest and oldest library in Vale didn't seem to have that much on Grimm knowledge that the ordinary public didn't already know.

His fingers went to linger again on the same spot he still had the itching bandages on (hopefully he would be allowed to remove them by tomorrow) something about the injuries had alarmed Glynda much more than she had left on.

The others may not have thought so, but Reiji had seen the same look one too many times whenever his parents were withholding some really bad news; either to their sons or employees.

Something about the Academies withholding such knowledge didn't sit well with him, but then again, maybe he was overthinking things? Could he really pretend that he wouldn't do the same were he in a position of power? With millions of lives at stake?

Talking about power, he still had his teammates to worry about.

First was his partner, Yuzu Hiragi. Not a necessarily bad choice. There was no question about her fighting skills, but on an interactive level, she seemed to have a tendency to favor others over her own wellbeing and opinions, which weirdly enough, often clashed with her temper.

Noboru Gongenzaka was by far the most grounded of the three, and seemed to share Reiji's interest in weaponry and history, and even seemed to understand a little bit about the expectations placed on an heir, but it was too obvious that his friends had a great hold on him.

Then there was Yuya Sakaki, a fast and agile fighter. A bit of a goof, perhaps a little _too_ attached to the former two, he guessed, but still quite a temper which he was the apparent recipient of, puzzling Reiji to no end considering the seemingly decent head start they had.

It needed to be fixed somehow, those were the things people expected from a leader. He knew that much and it was something that came with his choice of sticking with them through the Forest. It was something he could simply not back out from. He was not one for avoiding responsibilities and he wouldn't start now.

After he was reminded by the librarian that it was time to close, he checked some books out and headed to their dorm, only to be greeted with a hallway semi-covered in feathers that he recognized from pillows... _'They wouldn't have...'_

His suspicions were confirmed when he opened their room and even more feathers were all over the floor; so much for resting.

He noticed they had given him the bed next to the door, which was already made and he presumed, given his empty bags, that his stuff was already in the nightstands ...which had suspiciously doubled in number, but he was too exhausted to inquire them about it.

"Oh, you're back," he heard Yuzu say from the bed across from his, wearing her pajamas. Strangely enough, she was the only one still awake despite it being just a quarter past eight, but it was likely that they were exhausted after their…activities.

"Thank you for arranging my bed," he said.

"Uh? Oh, you can thank Gongenzaka for that. He can be such a neat freak sometimes," she said. "Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that the nurse told us you had to go to the infirmary before class to have your bandages removed," she informed him.

"Thanks again."

"Sure thing. Well, sleep tight," she said plopping down her mattress and turning the lights off.

Once he was sure she was asleep, he changed into his sleepwear with some effort and allowed the drowsiness to take over.

∞

It was a beautiful night. The moon was shining bright in the sky, making the sea look like a milky way with its reflection. As it was, however, the boy on the pier couldn't bring himself to enjoy the view. There were far more pressing matters to attend to than to enjoy star gazing.

But an old song came to his memory and he found himself humming to the wind.

_Lunar silvery light shining through the mist_

_bleeding into a crimson hue_

_And the wind bringing the golden leaves_

_Of a forgotten fall._

He stopped when he felt another figure approaching him, but he still didn't tear his eyes from the moon.

"How long until the next boat to Vale sails out?" he asked to the figure behind him.

"I'm sorry, but given the recent…happenings, security has ordered all scheduled trips between kingdoms to be delayed for another two months for inspection, at least," he explained.

While considering the news, he threw a rock into the ocean, watching it skip over the water's surface before responding.

"Don't apologize, it was to be expected. But it does seem like an extreme measure given that the preparations for the Vytal Festival must have begun already…"

"Are we sure this is not another dead-end, or maybe even a fake lead?" A trap he meant. Yes he had considered that too but…

"We'll have to settle for now. We don't have anything else to go with." For now, they were stuck on this beach.

_Dancing to its sweet melody_

_The memories swirl inside a fabricated heart._

His scroll beeped and he almost dropped it when he read the message and the attached files in it.

"Change of plans, we can't waste two months here," he said, changing his demeanor immediately. He squared his shoulders and straightened his back. "Tell everyone that we leave at sunrise."

"But we don't have…" the other said in a stutter.

"We leave tomorrow," he repeated. "And tonight we get a boat. Rally everyone up," he finished, gripping the handle on his waist strap.

"Yes," the other responded with a bow.

Once he was left alone again, he reread the message, staring back at him with its mocking words.

"LIKE THE MOON THE SEASONS ARE CHANGING, AND FALL HAS GONE BY."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah this chapter is both a tiny lull in between "arcs" and sort of a set up for future events as well.
> 
> So here you go more awkward Reiji (because there's not enough of it in canon :P), more grumpy Yuya, and lots, lots of silliness.


	11. 10.- The Devil's Rose

The first thing Reiji did a soon as he woke up was head to the infirmary so he could finally get rid of the annoying stinging bandages that had limited his movements and his sleep, thus causing him to be a bit sore on the mid-side.

Despite her affable bedside manner, he realized that the nurse was mildly annoyed at him for coming in as soon as she had opened the door, not even giving her enough time to settle down. Still, as soon as he quietly apologized for bothering her, her demeanor changed again and this time he could really believe she wasn't (as) annoyed with him as before.

"Very well, this should only take a few minutes. Please remove your sweater honey," she instructed and Reiji tried to focus on the window behind her rather than her mildly cold hands on his skin.

"And…it's done! And it doesn't look like it will leave any marks, which is very good news. When you showed me the size of the injury, I wasn't sure how you kept on walking normally. Those Spinners are a real nightmare if you ask me."

"That's what they are called?" he asked, perking up and returning his attention to the nurse; it sounded a bit strange.  _'Spinners,'_ he repeated in his head.

"Sorry sweetie, can't tell. I'm no huntress, just a medical aide, but that's what Miss Glynda calls them some times," she replied, scribbling down some things in a notebook.

"Thank you," he said after putting back his clothes.

"You should ask Professor Port or maybe Dr. Oobleck though. They're the Grimm experts around here," she said as a manner of goodbye. "Oh, and please remind your team to remove the compresses before showering."

He just nodded and went back to the dorm.

∞

Coming back from doing some morning warm up always made Gongenzaka feel refreshed and relaxed, and it also gave him a good chance to give the campus another look, just in case. He had allowed himself to sleep in until six this time. Given that Beacon's location was on a higher spot than Patch along with the more tempered weather from Vale it made the sunlight dimmer, and even then the clouds and fog would play a part, making the visibility and in turn safety lower considerably.

He wasn't about to catch a cold or have injuries due to easily preventable issues.

On the way back, he made a mental note of the infirmary and the dining hall being already open, and he even caught some professors fumbling around with notes in the hallway. He absent-mindedly wondered if they would have living quarters in the school for them as well, or if they had to catch some really early cable cars.

Finally reaching their room he looked at the hour. Seven o'clock. According to their schedule, that left a whole two hour window which was far too long for him to use. His friends on the other hand…

As he opened the door, he found Yuya sprawled on his bed, snoring with the bedsheets covering only one of his legs. The only thing still in its original place? The pillow. Yuzu, on the other hand, was simply tucked into her own sheets, sort of like a shrimp or a cinnamon roll. As usual her pillow was right on top of her face, covering her eyes.

Just as he noticed the empty bed, a soft click behind his back was heard and came face to face with Reiji.

"Good morning," he said without sparing a look and went to pick up his uniform and some towels.

"If you're taking a shower you should remove those bandages first." After all, it wouldn't do them if their team leader were to get an infection.

"That's already taken care off," he responded, turning around and finally catching onto the two soundly sleeping people in the room. Checking his scroll, he asked, "Are those two going to wake up anytime soon?"

Before Gongenzaka could answer a vibration started:

_♪♫ now, catch the dreams dancing in your heart… ♫ ♪_

"Mmph …Morning," mumbled Yuzu, stretching out from under her covers, sitting up and rubbing her eyes. Once she finally looked fully awake, she looked around, first at them then at Yuya and went into her panic mode. "Oh God! Did we sleep in? Gongenzaka what time is it? I need to take a shower, then breakfast! No wait, should I have breakfast first? Or do I skip the shower? Gah!-"

_♫♪…I want to see that miraculous field and take a fabulous one step…♫♪_

And just like that the music and her tirade ended, with Yuzu thumping on the carpeted floor face first, the pillow, sheets and scroll falling on top of her, followed instantly by a giggle turned into full blown laughter from Yuya's side.

Gongenzaka could feel Reiji's questioning stare: Is it always like this? This is what I have to expect for years to come? Well not the last one, but he got the idea.

"At least they're up now," he remarked with an accompanying shrug.

∞

"Look who finally decided to join the world of the living." Yuya heard as soon as he sat down next to Yuzu with a plate full of pancakes and a cup of juice.

"Good morning to you too, Sawatari," he answered. Looking over at the rest of the table, he saw the rest of MSST too.

"We had a couple of mishaps," said Reiji sitting down as well, with nothing but a couple biscuits and coffee. Really, who could go until lunch with just that?

"I can imagine," said Hokuto, eyeing with a frown some paper in his hand. "Hey Masumi, did you see this? The only class we have all together is Combat with Miss Glynda." He didn't sound pleased.

"What are you talking about? You have the first class with…" she said before munching on a sausage, her plate was unbelievable: sausages, steak, and meatloaf, with just a little side of fruits. Yuya liked meat as much as anyone, but Masumi gave a whole new meaning to it. "…Yuya, Reiji and Sawatari," she finished.

Now Hokuto really looked so-not-pleased.

"I have History with Oobleck," mentioned Yaiba, sipping some tea. "Two hours actually," he added.

"Me too," piped up Yuzu and Masumi together.

"I have Field Studies with Professor Peach," contributed Gongenzaka.

"Not so bad. At least we don't have to suffer through math and science lessons anymore," commented Yuya.

"That's new. I've never seen you so excited for going to class," answered Gongenzaka, raising his eyebrows.

"How could I not be? This isn't just school anymore, we are here to learn to fight monsters and do missions and all types of cool stuff! There no way that can be boring."

∞

"Monsters! Deeeemons... Prowlers of the night! Yes, the creatures of Grimm have many names, but I merely refer to them as prey! Ha-ha!"

Nobody in the lecture hall reacted to it, and some of them (including Yuya Sakaki) looked bored out of their minds, but that made no sense.

Peter Port was an exceptional huntsman both in profession and in sport, stories about his exploits had been going around since his childhood, he still remembered the first time he met him. It had been one of those galas his parents threw around whenever it was election season. He had appeared as a surprise guest and presented himself as a good friend of the Mayor. He had delighted everyone with the story of his most recent hunting trip and Sawatari, being the only twelve year old at the party, had been listening to his every word.

The cherry on top was that Port noticed him, he called for him to help with some demonstration and had actually let him hold his weapon: a beautiful blunderbuss with an axe integrated.

That had been the night Sawatari decided he wanted to be a huntsman.

"Uhhhh... And you shall too, upon graduating from this prestigious academy! Now, as I was saying: Vale, as well as the other three kingdoms, are safe havens in an otherwise treacherous world! Our planet is absolutely teeming with creatures that would love nothing more than to tear you to pieces! And that's where we come in. Huntsmen! Huntresses! Individuals who have sworn to protect those who cannot protect themselves! From what, you ask? Why, the very world!"

"Ugh, I take back my words," grumbled Yuya from beside him, looking like he was about to doze off.

"Shhh, I'm trying to listen," spat Sawatari, which earned a muffled laugh not only from the red-head but from Hokuto too.

"Why am I not surprised the only people you want to listen to are those who love the sound of their voice more than you?" said Hokuto, earning yet another laugh from Yuya who was struggling to keep it down.

Before he could retort, his attention was taken back by the Professor talking:

"That is what you are training to become. But first: A story. A tale of a young, handsome man... Me! When I was a boy..."

"…I was already telling my very first boring story, which my grandfather congratulated me for," quipped Yuya in a deeper voice.

Giggles were heard from the front to the middle row, but the Professor seemed too engulfed in his story to notice the lack of attention.

"If you're not going to listen you could at least keep quiet for those who actually came to study," said a voice behind them. It was Reiji.

"…Sorry," said Hokuto, hanging his head a bit lower.

"Mind your own business, will you? Or are you enjoying the story of how Professor _Pork_ killed the big scary Beowolf?" Yuya said in a slightly louder but still muffled voice. "Big deal, do you know what we can see in Patch's forests on a quiet evening? Whole packs of them." He was clearly exasperated by the time he finished his mini-rant.

"Wow, really? I didn't know they hanged around in packs too. Isn't that an Ursa thing?" asked Hokuto, interested but went unsurprisingly ignored, watching them sizing each other up Sawatari got a mental image of two antelopes crashing horns.

"I don't doubt you, but if you were listening you would know that Professor Port defeated the Beowolf practically still a boy with his bare hands. No weapons, no Dust," commented Reiji, practically asking – daring - Yuya if he could say the same for himself.

But he just sank down further in his seat, fuming and with grumbling noises.

"Ah-heh-hem!" Port waited patiently until he had everyone's attention again. "In the end, the Beowolf was no match for my sheer tenacity, and I returned to my village with the beast in captivity and my head held high, celebrated as a hero!"

He bowed and then he went to grab his weapon as if to let everyone take a good look at it. Sawatari, on the other hand, remembered fondly what it felt like to have it in his hands.

"The moral of this story? A true Huntsman must be honorable!"

He looked over at Yuya, still not paying attention and still grumbling, most definitely not worthy of being called a huntsman.

"A true Huntsman must be dependable!"

From the corner of his eye, he saw Hokuto completely uninterested demeanor and to boost was doodling stars in his desk.

"A true Huntsman must be strategic, well-educated, and wise!"

Reiji Akaba was the only person in the room who could ever compare to that description. How he wished he could do so too, to be listened and respected, not having his opinion mocked or looked over.

"So, who among you believes themselves to be the embodiment of these traits?"

He clenched his fists at the question. He wanted to raise his hand, and he wanted to show everyone that he could be that person.

"I-I do sir," he said almost biting his tongue; obviously his body had a mind of his own.

Everyone went silent, and it was the heaviest, longest pause he had to endure. Yuya finally perked up and looked at him surprised, while Hokuto looked at him as if asking if he had gone insane.

"Well, then, let's find out! Step forward, and face your opponent!" said the Professor, stepping aside and letting everyone see a cage that had been overlooked by everyone until they all heard the growling noises.

Sawatari gulped down, almost regretting his decision already. Almost.

∞

Maybe Yuya had been wrong all along, both about Professor Port and Sawatari.

After all, of all the things someone could have told him would happen on his first day (and first class no less!) a Professor letting loose a Grimm in the middle of a class, and Sawatari bravely facing the challenge had to be the most unlikely one.

If this is what Port's class was going to consist of, Yuya would gladly take on as many reports and sleep-inducing talks as it took to get to be in Sawatari's place.

Once Sawatari had changed back from his uniform, and seemed to be adjusting his gloves, the show was ready to begin.

The Professor let the door of the cage lift and a Boarbatusk came from it, looking incredibly pissed and hungry.

"Come on Sawatari, go for it!" exclaimed Yuya when he noticed him taking a step back. "This is pretty cool eh?" he asked Hokuto.

"As long as he doesn't embarrass the team, it will be enough," said Hokuto with his arms behind his head.

"Uh, ok…" said Yuya, pulling his attention back to the fight.

Right now, Sawatari was evading the Boar thrusts from side to side while the Grimm continued to deflect his wire attacks.

No, there was something off. The wires kept on wrapping themselves into some places and then continued to expand along with Sawatari's steps.

 _'What on earth is he doing?'_  He was basically running away, and predictably everyone including Port looked unimpressed.

"Ugh, that idiot doesn't know what he's doing," snorted Hokuto.

"I say we wait and see," commented Reiji from behind, his eyes ever so cold and calculating.

A thumping noise called their attention again, and they witnessed how Sawatari was on the floor with the Boar creeping on top of him.

"Oh my, how are you going to get out of this one, young man?" asked Port, but otherwise making no motion to help whatsoever.

Suddenly, he raised his left arm and fired his wires to the ceiling. Once they were secured, Sawatari was lifted in a flash, not without hitting his head against one of the Boar's tusks but otherwise avoiding a frontal assault.

And that's when it clicked.

Because now it was completely visible how from Sawatari's right arm the wires were all wrapped in a circular shape surrounding the Grimm.

With a couple of finger motions, snaps were heard all over the hall as some tables and chairs fell down.

But nobody paid attention to them.

They were all staring at the now trapped Boarbatusk trying to wriggle its way out of the wire trap.

From above, Sawatari released the wires from his left hand, landing in front of the beast, and, while smirking, made a couple more gestures with his hand.

The force of the wires increased, cracking the plates and the Boar was now wailing until with one last forceful pull, it fell into black smoking pieces on the floor.

Disbelieving gasps could be heard all over the room, and Yuya felt like cheering. Sure, Sawatari had still fallen on his butt once the weight of the beast went away, but what he did still deserved applause at least.

"Bravo! Bra-vo! It appears we are indeed in the presence of a true Huntsman-in-training! Even if I have to replace some furniture, that was quite an unusual display. I like it." He clapped as Sawatari looked relieved beyond belief still on the floor. "I'm afraid that's all the time we have for today. Be sure to cover the assigned readings, and... Stay vigilant! Class dismissed!"

Yuya made his way to see if Sawatari was indeed alright, but before he could he had already stood up.

"Good job there," he told him.

"It was quite a show," mentioned Reiji from behind him, gathering his notes.

"Wha- Well of course I the great Sawatari had everything under control! That beast was no match for my abilities," he started.

 _'Aaand there it is,'_ thought Yuya but he supposed that for today he earned it.

"Lucky shot," snapped Hokuto, storming out of the hall.

"Eh, don't worry about him. You should hurry. You have five minutes to change and go to Peach's class," said Yuya.

∞

"Why would I lie for Sawatari? I'm telling you that's exactly what happened!" commented a purple haired guy on the lockers; Isao was it, right?

"Must've been a lucky shot if you ask me," answered the taller bulky one. Yuzu was reminded of Gongenzaka whenever he looked at him, just much less nicer.

"Oi, Yuzu wait!" she heard Yuya coming out from the lockers too. "How was your day?" he asked.

"Pretty uneventful. Mostly some introduction by the faculty," she started. "But Oobleck's class was really interesting! He talked about the Great War and some of the traditions established by the first huntsman's generation. It was hard to keep track of him though, so don't even think about sleeping during his class," she warned.

"Noted. Ready for the best class ever?" asked Yuya.

"That's a matter of who you ask, Yuya," said Gongenzaka who had been waiting for them outside of the Port's class hallway.

"Fine, but still don't pretend you're not looking forward to it," he said. "Not only will there be action, but I finally got out of that uniform," Yuya said in relief.

"It's not so bad," said Yuzu. She liked the colors anyway, and the frills of the skirt eliminated worries of accidentally showing anyone her undergarments.

"Hey, guys," greeted Yaiba, joining along with Hokuto. "Yuya, help me solve a huge injustice here," he said.

"No, please don't," retorted Hokuto.

"Anyway, I have been hearing stories all day long about some great feat of Sawatari in Grimm Studies class, and Hokuto here…"

"I hate you," he said, crossing his arms.

"…won't say a word to me about it, even though he had front row seats." he continued, ignoring Hokuto.

"Agh! Would you let it go?" Hokuto said face palming.

"Now tell me if that's not unfair. So much for a trustworthy partner I got," finalized Yaiba with feigned indignation.

They all laughed, minus Hokuto, and Yuya seemed more than happy filling in the details, which admittedly Yuzu was curious about too.

Once they reached the arena for the Combat class with Miss Glynda, she noticed that both Reiji and Masumi had already taken their seats at the front.

"About time," mumbled Masumi, only at Yaiba and Hokuto though, to the rest she gave a tiny smile and a nod.

"Hey Masumi, guess who deserves a cookie today?" said Yaiba.

"I'm aware of Sawatari's demonstration earlier today. Reiji filled me in about it," responded Masumi, flicking her hair.

"Wow, one class with him and now power and stuffiness already got to her head," said Yuya with rolled eyes. Yuzu repressed a sigh, if only because Masumi sent him an amused grin.

"After all of this, where's the celebrity of the day anyway?" asked Masumi.

"He was in our History class," said Gongenzaka, referring to both Yaiba and Hokuto, both of whom just shrugged, and redirected their attention to the approaching figure of Glynda.

"Since this is your last class of the day, I assume all of you are already familiar with your classmates?" She started eyeing them all. "So let us skip the formalities and-"

She stopped at the sound of hurried footsteps and a body slamming against the entrance door.

"So-sorry I'm late Professor," apologized a winded Sawatari. "I had the wrong schedule," he added holding a crumbled sheet of paper. Yuzu didn't miss the shared giggles coming from Hokuto and Yaiba.

"Spare me the explanation young man and take a seat," she answered after another scrutinizing glare. "As I was saying, I'm sure you are all eager to show off your abilities, but first allow me to explain what the Combat class will consist of. The first fifteen minutes will be dedicated to a light sparring session, meant to both warm up and record your regular stats of battle prowess. Once we are done with that, you will find that your scrolls will display the results and you will be able to schedule a match with a classmate of your choosing. The feature, however, is no guarantee that you will get to fight said match, since they are all approved by me according to the areas you need development," she finished looking up from her scroll again. "Any questions?"

Nobody said anything. The rules were simple enough, thought Yuzu. Warm up (which meant no weapons, but semblances were free game), get stats, settle a challenge, and get Glynda's approval; a slice of pie really.

"Very well. What are you waiting for then? Come down here and start, time is running…" She looked over at the wall where a timer ringed and started the countdown. "...Now."

"Feel like sparring a little bit?" said Masumi behind her while coming down the stairs.

"You're on," answered Yuzu.

As it turned out, Masumi was quite a resilient opponent. Once it became apparent that Yuzu had the upper hand in speed and technique, and after the third time she had blocked her punches and the fourth she landed a flying kick to her back, she went her way into using evasions, defensive moves and was not afraid of playing dirty tricks with her illusions.

At the moment, she had her immobilized with her arms locked behind her back.

"Ready to call it off?" Masumi questioned.

"You wish," she responded. Concentrating all the force on her footing, she spun her middle to the front and once Masumi was off her, she went to kick Masumi's knees but she blocked the attack.

Still mid-spin, she was slammed on the floor with Masumi's hand on her neck.

***HRRRNNNNGGGG***

"Time's up. I won," stated Masumi, helping Yuzu to her feet.

"...Two best out of five is not bad," she said shrugging. They both turned around in time to see the results of the sparring sessions. Hokuto got served a finishing blow on the back by a tall boy in a red and black suit – Hikage. Yaiba on the other hand had enough time to both landing a punch and receiving a kick from Isao. Gongenzaka was locked in a mano-a-mano with the bulky guy from KGSU (Anko something was it?).

On the other side of the arena, Sawatari was quite literally biting the dust with a short girl stepping on his back, calling him a pervert for some reason. Yuya was not really good at sparring itself, but his semblance made up for it in most cases…which was not this one as he was dealt a blow to the head by Tsukikage, and while Reiji was chatting amiably with his opponent – Michio; he still looked kinda trashed around.

"Everyone, time is up. Please check your scrolls," said Glynda. "Now before you schedule your matches, remember to consider the things you need to work on the most and go from there."

Yuzu looked down at her stats: Defense – 95, Offense – 93, Strength – 75 and Speed – 85. Not bad at all, she thought, but she needed to work on her physical prowess. Maybe she could schedule a match with one of the KGSU guys; they looked as tough as they come.

But before she could decide, the Professor spoke again.

"I have the first match for the day." And then the screen showed both Reiji's and Yuya's profiles next to each other. "Mr. Sakaki and Mr. Akaba, please grab your weapons. The rest may go back to your seats."

Looking at Yuya's eager expression and Reiji's questioning one, it wasn't hard to guess who had challenged whom.

Once everyone had taken their seats, Yuzu felt Gongenzaka's hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry too much Yuzu. It will be fine," he reassured her. She knew he was right, it was just a school match, and Professor Glynda could always intervene if things got out of hand.

The arena was awfully quiet even with both contenders on either side of it. They just stared at each other, then Yuya charged full blow with his staff at Reiji, which he deflected with his dagger by mere inches.

Then he disappeared again to the other side of the arena, bow in hand and fired at Yuya.

Yuya deflected most of them, but when the shots ended, Yuzu observed his arms with frost on it and his anger when he realized it.

He dashed, appearing again mid-air in front of Reiji kicking him right in the face, which he hadn't predicted if the few drops of blood on the arena were any sign.

Taking advantage of Reiji's low guard, Yuya went to use the blunt side of his staff to hit him right in the stomach, making him fall to the ground.

But where Yuya and the class expected to see Reiji's body there was nothing again, and Yuya had barely any time to use the chained blade mode to deflect the barrage of flechettes from Reiji's.

Some people in the row were beginning to cheer for either one of them and clearly pleased at this, Yuya stopped managing to deflect the fire and ice attack by running on all fours, and moved to make a frontal assault.

When he was within his range attack of him, Reiji had an arrow ready to fire but using a Lightning Dust blow to his wrist from where sparks were seen. He disarmed Reiji before he could fire.

Good, now this could end once one of the opponents was either disarmed or Aura depleted, as per the rules.

And people cheered for Yuya's victory, but rather than take in the compliments with open arms and a bow as usual, he didn't stop there.

To Yuzu's awe, Yuya was now dealing blow after blow on Reiji, each time using the same Lightning Dust he used for his final attacks.

_'Not again...'_

She turned her attention to the stats screen and realized that Reiji's Aura was getting dangerously low.

She sat upright immediately, preparing to yell, jump over the benches so he would stop, but before that, Yuya had been stopped mid-air and expelled onto the ground through some force with his weapon out of reach. From the corner of her eye, she saw the Professor with her wand pointing in Yuya's direction.

But rather than stopping right there as he should, he tried to get up and went in Reiji's direction with a ferocious look in his eyes, clearly with violent intent, until he was forcefully grabbed by both arms.

It was Glynda that stopped him yet again. Yuya tried to wriggle his way out of the hold but he couldn't not until the Professor saw that Reiji was still conscious and trying to stand up.

"I didn't think I needed to remind anyone that we are not trying to kill anyone here, Mr. Sakaki. I assume, after all, you know the basic rules for training matches," she said in a low, controlled voice which Yuya finally seemed to be responding to, stopping his movements.

The moment he did, Glynda released him.

Silence reigned with the rest of the class, and then some whispers, but Yuzu's only worry right now was focused on Yuya and Reiji. Glynda started to sort through her scroll and called for the rest of the team to the arena. Once they got into walking distance, she noticed Yuya was avoiding eye contact with both of them.

"Yuya…" she attempted.

"Ms. Hiragi, please go and help your partner back to his feet and take him to the infirmary," ordered Glynda. "Yuya Sakaki, on the other hand, is now required to go the Headmaster's office immediately. Mr. Gongenzaka, if you would be so kind to escort him."

"Y-yes," responded both with a bow.

When she motioned to Reiji, he was already on his feet but was obviously in need of assistance to walk. She felt like owing an apology in Yuya's place, but she knew that wasn't the correct reason. She wanted to say sorry because she saw the signs and did nothing about it. The fiery growl, his contracting pupils which sometimes looked like they could shine in the dark, his beastly gait and bloodlust...

Because this wasn't the first time it happened.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp Yuya is in actual trouble now, wait next chapter for an early cameo of Ozpin's pristine office and thickening of the plot, and even more drama.


	12. 11.- Two Sides of a Silver Lining

"You really did it this time, Yuya," said Gongenzaka while in the elevator to the Headmaster's office.

_'I know,'_ he wanted to say, words cramming in his mouth, but nothing came out and he hung his head even lower. This was it, wasn't it? He was going to be expelled and sent back to Patch before the day ended. How had he let things go this far? When he remembered Reiji battered and needing to use Yuzu as support, he felt his stomach hollowing and crash to his feet. During the match he had been unable to think about those things; he just answered to the impulse that told him he really wanted to hurt Reiji.

Which, in perspective, made things even worse.

What was he going to tell Ozpin when he'd inevitably ask for his motive? _'Oh, it was nothing; I just don't like Reiji and wanted to crack him a rib or two.'_  He shook his head at the thought that was a little too specific and a dangerous thing to think.

"Gongenzaka, I-" he attempted.

Then the beeping sound was heard stopping the elevator, along with Yuya's heartbeat. The doors opened and for a moment, Yuya forgot about his current trouble when he got a good look at the office. It was pristine with screws, and springs were all over the place, all working in unison, giving the place a mechanical look. It almost looked alive in a way.

"Come in," said a voice, unmistakably belonging to Ozpin.

Yuya had no idea how he was actually managing to walk given that his legs felt like they were made of lead, but he managed to make it to the front desk – which was just a much clockwork and machine-like as the rest of the office. He tried to concentrate his eyes on it then, anything to avoid looking at the man sitting behind it.

"Thank you for escorting him, Mr. Gongenzaka. Please allow us to talk in private. I would hate for you to miss dinner because of this," said Ozpin in an apologetic voice.

"Yes, sir," he heard Gongenzaka answer, bowing to him no doubt.

As soon as the beep of the elevator was heard, he listened to Ozpin stand from his chair and come to his side in painfully slow strides, until he was right next to him, occupying most of his view and thus impossible to ignore.

"I was hoping that our first meeting would be in more pleasant circumstances, Mr. Sakaki," Ozpin began. What could Yuya say to that? He didn't even sound angry; he almost wished he would be angry, then maybe he could get a lecture on why violence is bad and be gone with a warning in a hour tops.

No, Ozpin sounded both understanding and soft-spoken and it only made him feel worse.

"I'm sorry. I just don't know what came over me," he said, feeling almost like choking with the words.

"Oh, but you do know, don't you?" the headmaster commented with disbelief.

At this, Yuya finally perked up and looked at the man's face. He was looking intently at him with a raised eyebrow and pursed lips. He didn't believe him, did he? He felt his fists clenching and unclenching at the thought. Not good; he could feel his temper rising up again, so he forced himself to breathe out from his mouth a couple times before answering.

"I… just wanted to trash him a little bit, I never meant to take it that far" he admitted, he closed his eyes waiting for his reprimand.

"How about we take a seat?" suggested Ozpin. Sure, why not? If he was going to take the bad news, he better be sitting.

"Tell me Yuya, what are your thoughts on Reiji?" he asked, hands interlaced and his arms supporting his upper body.

"I-What? Aren't you going to expel me? Or suspend me at least?" he asked instead.

"I haven't decided the proper course of action just yet," he answered and reclined a little. "I'm trying to understand why you did this. I've always found that far more effective than throwing around punishments, even if it's for the sake of discipline," he finished.

If Ozpin had been courteous enough to answer, he supposed he owed him he the very same courtesy.

"He's fine, I guess. I mean we met on the airship, and well, lots of things happened there but enough said that we tried to help him go unnoticed and we didn't even need to. You must know why, right? You have his file, archive or whatever. We basically got in trouble because he couldn't tell us about his damn semblance, and he's well kind of… off" he spluttered.

"Off?" asked Ozpin, obviously asking him to elaborate.

"I don't know - just off. Like I can't hardly believe that we are the same age! Or the same species! He acts like some …robot or a specter and it's just creepy! And then nobody acts like there's anything wrong with that!" There, he said it. Reiji creeped him out and it was beyond exasperating him that he couldn't get a normal response out of him.

He couldn't even guess why Ozpin even considered he would make a good team leader.

"I see. Would I be correct if I say that there is a communication issue within your team?" Yuya just shrugged. He didn't really know what a _'communication issue'_ was, but Reiji sure sucked at any type of communication. "And you think I made I mistake by appointing him as your leader?" he added.

It wasn't a question. Of course Ozpin had guessed that much. It's not like he bothered to keep it a secret, anyway.

"Yuya, how many people in your life would you say you could trust your life with?" Ozpin asked.

"Yuzu, Gongenzaka, the Principal – I mean Yuzu's dad – my dad I guess and …my mom," he quickly answered without wasting a second.

"You are lucky to have them in your life and grateful, I expect," said Ozpin and added, "And for the record, your mother was a remarkable woman and huntress. She was taken from our- from your lives way too soon," he said, sounding even softer than before.

…And he missed her every single day too. There were so many things he wanted to ask Ozpin about her. Things his dad or the Principal were either unable or reluctant to tell him, but he wasn't _that_ dense to know this wasn't the right moment.

"Which leads us back to the subject. What would Reiji as a team leader have to do to earn your trust? After all, I would have guessed him going his way to ensure the safety of MSST and your friends as well as yours would be more than enough," continued Ozpin. If he was trying to bait him or guilt trip him, he was not doing a good job and Reiji could never even begin to compare to Yuzu or Gongenzaka.

"So are we supposed to follow him because he's so smart, polite and a prodigy? I mean, he's not a bad person or anything, but earning trust goes both ways. How are we supposed to trust him when he clearly doesn't trust us?" countered Yuya.

"It's an excellent point, but my question still stands… Maybe I should rephrase the question. What have you done to earn his trust?" Ozpin asked again.

Yuya felt his mouth bobbing open and close for several seconds, trying to come up with an answer. He racked his brain for an answer. They had been stuck in the temple, right? And then at the chamber - a tomb - but he quickly shook that thought…They hadn't really worked together at all, had they?

Even the stupid distraction had been his friend's idea.

"I…guess nothing really," he admitted with his head hung low.

"And your frustrations just kept on piling up one after another until Miss Glynda's class presented you with an outlet…" Ozpin guessed and Yuya didn't miss the disapproval in the statement. "Which bring us back here. Let me inform you that if you had assaulted him outside class, neither the Professor nor I would be nearly as lenient as we have been," he stated.

Another beep was heard and he heard heels clacking against the floor.

"Thank you for coming, Glynda," said Ozpin to the person now standing behind him. "Now, since this incident happened in your class, I will leave it to your discretion whatever discipline you choose for him," said Ozpin.

"Have you discussed the issue with him?" asked Glynda with a raised head.

"I have, and I can assure you it's a perfectly fixable issue that I and Mr. Sakaki left clear already," he asked, eyeing Yuya and taking the hint, he nodded in relief. It was finally over and he had kept his mouth shut. There were no loose ends. "Unless... there is something else you want to tell me?" he added.

Even as Yuya felt his stomach drop, he forced himself to breathe through his nose. "No sir, everything is understood."

"Very well, accompany me then," the Professor said with a hand on his shoulder.

∞

"Are you sure you shouldn't rest at the infirmary?" asked Gongenzaka again. He and Yuzu kept on asking him the same thing every time their cleaning duty brought her back to his seat in the library, which meant that all the others were here as well, making the place anything but quiet.

Between Masumi and Hokuto lazing around, only pretending to work when the librarian passed by, and Sawatari spreading more dust and dirt than any actual cleaning in his effort to show off to Yaiba that he was very capable of doing ‘menial’ chores, the actual work was placed in his two teammates hands.

"I'm a bit sore, but it should be gone by tomorrow," he responded, turning the page. "Have you seen Yuya? Isn't he missing his duties?" he asked him in return.

"I think he's still at the Headmaster's office," he said, sounding doubtful. Of course there was no way he was still there. "But worry not, I assure you he's gonna make up for it tomorrow!" he exclaimed with his fist on the air but it looked much less impressive given the duster he was holding in it.

"If you have time to chat then here's another stack of books that need to be dusted off!" yelled the librarian.

"Y-yes" he said hurrying to the group, but he stopped to regard him with an assessing expression, as if he was considering revealing some important stuff to him, but deflated at the last minute and went away anyway.

Hopefully this time he would get a slightly longer alone time. He adjusted his sitting position, feeling the soreness again, but didn't complain about it. It was bad enough that the nurse had made quite a few quips at his inability to keep himself out of medical care. It was embarrassing but better than being showered with questions about his well-being.

No, he did not need to rest. No, he did not want his meal brought to his room. No, he didn't feel like being absent from Combat class for the rest of the week. And no, he most definitely would not be advocating for kicking out Yuya Sakaki from the team, nor from Beacon.

After some shocked looks, Reiji wondered if holding grudges was a common thing among hunters. Was it that weird to just decide that he wouldn't let things like this affect him? Still, no matter what others thought of him, he would never let himself stoop so low as to give into petty revenge plots.

Revenge was for the overly emotional, for the immature, and the sensitive; for people like Yuya Sakaki, now that he thought about it.

A memory of glowing _human_ red eyes flashed through his mind then. It looked like leading this team would be harder than he originally thought.

∞

It was a beautiful night. The moon shone brightly in the sky that night. The broken side was hidden and it looked perfectly round like a halo. He chuckled a little at the tale that came to his mind; the one of the boy who thought he had drowned the moon in a well, all because he wanted to play with it. It was silly; you couldn't trap the moon.

The spot on the roof was blessing really. He had wondered if he would have to go out of the dorm every time he wanted to gaze at the sky, even if he felt a bit cold - nights here were chillier than in Patch, he noticed – but it didn't bother him too much, not when it provided him with a perfect hiding spot.

_"As soon as you find him, you will apologize to Mr. Akaba," Professor Glynda had instructed, adjusting her glasses not unlike Reiji. "After all, I **expect** you to be sorry for what happened, because half-hearted apologies won't do, Mr. Sakaki."_

Of course he was sorry. It's not like he enjoyed beating people up or anything. He was not a bully, but every time he rehearsed the apology in his head, it all ended in very unpleasant scenarios, usually involving people laughing at him or forcing him to apologize on his knees.

_"I will not allow you to schedule more matches with Mr. Akaba until I see some improvement with your restraint and you will not schedule any matches whatsoever for the rest of the week."_

Stupid combat classes, stupid Professor and stupid Reiji.

_"What have you done to earn his trust?"_

"I knew you would be up here," said a voice behind him.

"Leave me alone Gongenzaka," he grumbled, pulling his legs to his torso. He didn't want to talk to anybody.

"I bet you would love to, but I'm not here to baby you, Yuya. I thought we made that clear a long time ago" said Gongenzaka, coming to sit beside him.

"You can spare me the lecture, I already had to hear Ozpin and Glynda about it," he said.

"I'm not here about that Yuya…mostly," he said. "I'm here because you know what happened there," he stated.

"I let myself go…again," he admitted.

"When was the last time that happened?" asked Gongenzaka.

"Dunno, I can't remember." He did remember both Yuzu and Gongenzaka holding him to the ground, though, while trying to talk him out of it.

"Don't you think it's time we tell someone else about these?" To who? Ozpin? Sure, so he can kick his butt out of Beacon and maybe have him committed to some mental house. Any of the Professors would rat him out to him too. The Principal? He had considered for a while, but Yuya didn't feel like adding that to his responsibilities. His Dad? Yuya had a nagging suspicion he already knew but he still did or said anything about it.

"How about Reiji? He deserves an explanation after that beat down," Gongenzaka said.

"Well ...Glynda said I have to apologize..."

"Good."

"But...Are you gonna force me to tell him about ...this?" he asked instead.

"Of course not, but I'm worried about you and so is Yuzu. We are honored that you trusted us, but we can only do so much for you on the matter." Silence. After a heavy sigh, Gongenzaka asked, “Have you eaten already?" Of course his noisy stomach had to growl at the mention of food.

"We saved you some food in the room," he continued, getting up to go.

"Gongenzaka, have you ever thought me to be a freak…or a monster?" he asked still looking at the moon.

"Monsters don't need to eat, or rest. They don't smile and they don't ask themselves if they are monsters, Yuya. They just destroy," answered Gongenzaka.

"Thank you," he said with a smile.

∞

"What do you think?" he asked to her.

"I think he is hiding something," answered Glynda. "And his friends are probably in on it too," she added.

"True, but I also think he's afraid of telling us," he agreed with a nod.

"I can't imagine why. It's not like we're going to lock him down in the Vault or something," commented Glynda.

"Let's try not to take it personally. He's still a child and we are the uncaring grownups who will separate him from his friends and family if he slips up," he told her.

Sadly, at least in Ozpin's case, he could not deny he had played the part at certain points of his life, and more times than he cared to admit too.

"I suppose. And you say Yoko was just like that at that age too?" said Glynda with a sigh.

Ah yes, Yuya Sakaki may be the spitting image of his father, but he took a little too much of Yoko everywhere else, especially the leery part of her that hid the scared child behind it.

"I just got the reports of Crow and Shuzo, and everything seems to be in order. As for the boy, maybe it's nothing... After all, teens do tend to think their entire world will come crashing down on them at the slightest mistake …but I want you to keep an eye on him, just in case." It left a bitter taste in his mouth to have to do this to a boy - to Yoko's son - but it would have to be done either way sooner or later...

"Understood," said Glynda, motioning to leave the office.

Once he found himself alone in his office, he pulled out a couple reports to read them again, just in case he missed something. Growth, stats, health, everything checked out as normal in both of them and no breaches had been reported either, just yet. It was not much to go by, but if these two were fine, maybe the missing ones enjoyed a similar status too.

He pulled out four drawings from another file, dog-eared and a bit yellowish from being stored for years. Sigils were on each one with a different motif, but right now, he pulled out just two of them: moon and birds. Looking at them made his heart heavy and his head ache.

As if reading his mood, his view was now obscured by the clouds hiding the moonlight.

∞

"At least try not to choke on it, Yuya," scolded Yuzu as she watched Yuya practically stuffing his face on a huge fried shrimp, right on time to see him pat his own chest to pass down the food.

"Sorry, I'm just too hungry," he said.

"So…are you gonna tell me what you talked with the Headmaster?" she asked carefully. Luckily, Yuya didn't seem too affected after the talk.

"Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere Yuzu. He just gave me…some stuff to think about," he said, suddenly turning pensive.

"He didn't…" She was reluctant to ask. It was a common agreement to never speak about it, unless strictly necessary.

"Nope, I'm safe there. Don't worry really," he said with a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "Yuzu, I need to ask you a couple things."

"Yes?"

"Are you…ok having Reiji as partner?" he asked doubtful.

"Yuya again? I thought you…"

"No, no, no, don't get me wrong. I'm not trying to complain again, it's just…" It seemed he was having a great effort to get the words out. "…Can you answer me please? I swear I'm not gonna try to nitpick anything you say." Ah, so he wanted a third party perspective.

"Well, I'm not gonna lie Yuya, I didn't expect at all to get him as partner." The thought hadn't even crossed her mind actually. "And actually, the moment was …extremely awkward. Honestly, I was quite wary of him, but…" She didn't know exactly how to continue.

"Um, Yuzu, maybe if you could tell me exactly how it went, I could get a better idea?" he suggested sheepishly Of course, leave it to Yuya to ask everything to be made into a tale.

She tried her best to convey everything that happened at the Initiation, including the awkward things she would rather forget and she even tried to squish in the way Reiji had attempted to support her choice back at the chamber, even if he had not done a particularly good job at it.

"And... that's pretty much it I think," she finished, taking a breath after talking for a good half an hour.

"I see, so you'd say the even though he's creepy…" he started.

"I think the word aloof is more appropriate, Yuya," Yuzu corrected him.

"Ok, ok, even though he's 'aloof' and sometimes he makes you uncomfortable…"

"Just a little bit," she said rolling her eyes.

"…He makes you a 'little' uncomfortable, you still think Ozpin made the right choice by appointing him as leader?" he asked.

"…In short? Yes. I think Ozpin was right to do it, and I know I'm gush a lot about him but really Yuya, think about it, most of the things that got us out of trouble were planned by Reiji." And Masumi too, but she had her own team to worry about.

"Yes, I remember," he said all grumpy out of nowhere…or not?

"Yuya, I'm not saying that you're dumb, but help me here and let's face the facts: you can be a bit impulsive and when things don't go your way, you get all bummed out and take a hike." When she noticed Yuya's slight glare, she rushed to add, "Gongenzaka could be a good planner and is disciplined, but sometimes he's too concerned about the proper way to do things, not to mention his stubbornness can be really something else. And me? Yuya, I might have wanted to attend Beacon for a long time - and working myself to death for it too - but when it comes to leading, I'm lacking ...something..." She stopped a little to sigh and added, "I'm not sure what I...just know it." Was it perspective? Patience? Temperance? Either way, even if they discarded all those things, there was still the fact that the three of them would bend for each other in a second.

Really thinking about it, Reiji was the logical choice to handle the lot of them, but Yuya tended to discard logic too often, enough to overlook it a couple times, which was probably why Ozpin's reasoning for his decision escaped his mind.

Yuya fell silent for many minutes, and then he asked:

"Are you saying that you would be willing to follow him?" _'Would you trust him?'_ was the unspoken question. It wasn't just about team leading either. Would Reiji understand or throw him to the wolves?

"Um, maybe it's a little too soon for such serious compromises, but I'm willing to give him a chance, so yes." She hoped he caught the message: _'Not yet, but maybe one day.'_

"I see. Thank you Yuzu," he said, getting up to walk over to the door. "Don't worry, I'll come back before it gets too late."

∞

Yuya had planned to go check the library, to look for Reiji. That seemed to be like his hobby, but just as he was turning around the hallway, he was met with his presence. Either way it worked, as it was time to settle things up.

He half expected to see him battered, or at least have trouble walking, but he looked as he usually did: stiff, 'aloof' and bookish.

"So, I wanted to apologize for earlier today," he started. "I don't know what came over me, and you ended up paying the price. I'm sorry" he said.

"It was nothing really. You didn't mean to," responded Reiji, motioning to walk past him.

"Yes I did," Yuya said, and at this Reiji did stop and eyed him carefully. "I mean, the reason I challenged you to the match was because I kinda wanted to hurt you, not _that_ bad, but… yeah," he confessed.

"I see. Should I ask further about your reasons?" he asked with a deadpan voice.

"Ugh, because of that," said Yuya, ruffling his own hair in exasperation. "I just told you I wanted to hurt you and you're not even angry, or upset? Instead you're asking me why? Who does that? You're impossible," he complained, throwing his arms into the air.

"Oh? I guess I got my answer then," he said with a smirk and adjusting his glasses. That did it, and Yuya got into his face.

"Let's be clear on something," said Yuya, facing him again. "We are not friends. We share a dorm. We are teammates and you're the leader, but that's about it," he finally said, and it was liberating to do so. He felt so much lighter now.

"…I guess we have an agreement then. Thank you for clearing things up. I can work with that," said Reiji and continued walking, leaving Yuya in the hallway.

After that exchange, Yuya needed some time to walk off the steam. This was obviously the opposite of what Glynda wanted, but it was the only compromise he would concede. He would never let Reiji - not in a thousand years and certainly not today - to just... crash into his life and his friends and ruin everything.

∞

_'I guess it was the best we could hope for,'_ she thought with her back against the wall, and really, maybe it was for the best. It wasn't like forcing them to get along would bring good to either one of them or the team.

Like Reiji said, they could work this out.

"Good evening," she heard from the door. Their team leader was in the room, carrying yet another stack of books. Yuzu found herself wondering if there was a way someone could run out of reading material, even in such a large library. Still, she was sure that none of the professors had assigned any research homework just yet.

"Mind if I ask what you're reading?" she asked, walking over to his night stand. He barely looked at her and simply nodded his approval. "Uh?" They were all lore, mythology and fairy tale books. It really wasn't the type of books she expected him to be interested in.

"Feel free to read any of them," he told her.

"Y-yes, thank you! These are all very interesting. I always loved these when I was little. Some of these actually come from Patch you know? Like most of the ones compiled into the Forest Anthologies," she said, holding out the smallest one from the bunch.

"I see. I wasn't aware of that." Reiji took a seat on the bed and Yuzu didn't miss the slight wince he made, feeling yet another pang of guilt. Maybe she should tell him about Yuya's problem? Wouldn't it be better if the whole team was aware of it? But ...she would never do that to him.

"Oh right! You never got to tell us what your favorite tales were before we got...sidetracked," she reminded him.

Apparently he didn't expect her to remember because he seemed caught by surprise, and had to think of his answer.

"...The Demon Lord," he answered at last and somehow it didn't surprise her. It was a tale native from Atlas, back when it was still known as Mantle.

Yes, maybe this wasn't so bad. If she put in a bit more effort, maybe things would work out in the end.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So thing got solved, sort of, except not really? .... I leave off to you to figure it out but I will tell ou this: Don't bother taking sides both Yuya and Reiji are in the wrong here, just a different type of wrong.
> 
> Also, I miss Ozpin so here you got two scenes with him :3


	13. 12.- ...and A Brewing Storm

"Did you guys already choose your electives?" asked Yuya to no one in particular at the table. With the end of the first week of classes at Beacon, a bulletin had been posted on the school scroll notification site on the weekend, listing the extra courses available for the students following the next week. Reiji had been surprised to learn that Yuya seemed the most excited about it. He would have thought that the red-head would be the first opposed to 'more school' considering the amount of complaining he got to hear on a daily basis about any written assignment.

"He's always been into extra school activities. Yuya always needs to be doing something or else he gets restless." Yuzu explained that morning when she caught sight of his curious gaze at his enthusiasm.

"Advanced Dust Applications sounds like it would be lots of fun," remarked Yuzu. After a moment of thinking, she added, "But Tech & Mechanics is very tempting too."

Ah, he remembered she had shown some interest into modifying her weapon.

"I'm taking Survival Skills with Professor Peach," said Gongenzaka after gulping down some juice.

"I'd like to take all of them, but there are too little hours per day, and that's without mentioning the added workload. I don't think I could handle it," commented Yaiba with a sigh.

"I've decided! I'll take the Logistics and the Dust one!" declared Masumi, sounding triumphant.

"I'm not sure if I want to take one. After all, it's only our first semester. Shouldn't we adjust first? I mean, they are electives for a reason," said Sawatari, looking completely disinterested and playing around with his food.

"Sawatari, I swear I will force you to choose one. I'm not risking our qualifications for the Tournament because of you," threatened Hokuto, glaring at him and even pointing at him with his fork. It would have been much more effective if it hadn't had a piece of broccoli on it.

"What? Did the professors already say something about it? When? Where?" asked a suddenly frantic Yuya, almost getting on top of the table, knocking over the syrup.

"Of course not. Hokuto is just being his usual perfectionist self," said Yaiba, grinning at Hokuto who just growled in response. "Very well, have it your way. I'll be on... World Cultures and … yeah the Mechanics one sound good too," he said.

"Culture? Why would you take such a useless course?" asked Sawatari. "It has nothing to do with the Tournament."

"Au contraire. After all, isn't the Vytal Festival all about sharing culture and traditions? If that doesn't impress Goodwitch, nothing will," he reasoned, putting his arms on the back of his head.

"Sound more like you want an easy 100 mark, but it will do," said Masumi with a shrug, munching on yet another batch of bacon.

"Come on Yuzu. Gongenzaka didn't want to take the Dust course with me. Tell me you will. You said it sounded fun," he begged, hands posed and all.

"Sure. I'll think over the others over on the weekend," she answered. "How about you Reiji? Did you choose them already?" The question made him stop but more because he was the middle of sipping some tea. He had already decided.

"I'll take Logistics too, and Faunus Studies," he said and his answer was met with silence, even from the cutlery as he finished his tea, feeling their questioning stares.

"I wasn't aware they had them," said Yuzu, looking over her scroll, probably checking the list again. "Oh! Here it is, and it's going to be imparted by a guest teacher, Crow Hogan," she stated.

"Kuroi Hogan? Never heard of him," said Masumi with a raised eyebrow.

"I think its pronounced Cro-ow," said Gongenzaka, elongating the 'o' a little too much, but much closer than what Masumi said.

"Uh, yeah sure. Anyhow, isn't that more a course for a Social Sciences Academy? What does that have to do with being a huntsman?" she asked with feigned curiosity.

"Meh, it's probably part of those new school curriculums _they've_ been pushing for years," said Hokuto, not even pretending to be interested in the subject.

Honestly, Reiji believed they had just answered their own question, but he chose to keep that to himself.

∞

"Ugh, I'm sick of this!" he exclaimed, resting his head against the table.

"What is it now, Yuya?" asked Gongenzaka putting his pens down. "Is it Oobleck's class again?"

"I wish, then I could just copy from yours or Yuzu's homework," he said absentmindedly and immediately he regretted the words when he felt the 'staring daggers' on his nape. "Copy? No, no I meant take notes… never mind it's just we need to bring a full body drawing of a Grimm for Port's class," he said and moved his head to let Gongenzaka 'admire' his current work.

"It's not that bad for a …Beowulf," he said, tilting his head at it.

"Isn't it more like an Ursa?" asked Yuzu now, who had been quietly working on her own assignments.

"Neither. It's supposed to be a Griffin," he replied despondently. Mmm, maybe he could get a passable note if he let the Professor think it was a Beowolf? He didn't need to look at his friends' faces to know it looked nothing like what he wanted; he had never been good at drawing.

"Here, give me that," said Yuzu, taking his drawing without a hitch, and Yuya watched in amazement at how with just her eraser and pencils she was making a full body Griffin, including the unfolded wings and beak. With a final puff, she showed it to them with a satisfied grin.

"That's really good," said Gongenzaka in admiration.

"Just good? I have no idea how people do that!" he exclaimed, taking his sheet back to look at it better.

"It really is remarkable," said another voice behind them. At this point they were all used to his stealth entrances and Yuya no longer felt like jumping, just a slight hop.

"Thank you guys. Now don't expect me to do your homework, Yuya. I know for a fact that Port also said that you had to point out the different body parts, weak and strong points, and expected size and measures," she said.

Tch, he had forgotten she had that class today as well.

"Don't worry Yuzu. I the man Gongenzaka will make sure that Yuya finishes his assignment, please continue with your endeavors," said the big guy, giving a daring look to Yuya.

"Sure thing Gongenzaka. I know I can trust you. Did you bring the reading material Reiji?" she asked now to the person still behind them.

"I did. I hope you don't mind I started early on the project," he said, adjusting his glasses while Yuzu walked around the table to the one next to theirs.

"Aren't they spending lots of time doing projects together?" asked Yuya, biting the inside of his cheek.

"Well, they're working on an essay for Peach, and they're partners remember?" said Gongenzaka. "Besides you made it pretty clear that you can't stand the guy. How else is she going to work with him and you when needed?"

_'…Without you two getting into ridiculous discussions,'_ he obviously meant to add.

He hated when Gongenzaka was right, but he hated more knowing that he brought it on himself.

∞

"What do you mean the assignment is done?" asked Sawatari to a yawning Hokuto sprawled on his bed. "I spent the entire afternoon in the library doing my part!" he said wanting to rip apart the papers and throwing them into the floor, but he knew Masumi would have him picking them up one by one either way.

"What's the problem? I'm telling I put your name on it" Hokuto said barely sparing a look to him.

"Would you two give it a rest? I'm trying to concentrate here!" yelled Yaiba from his bed currently filled with papers, books and something that looked like a bowl of cereal.

"But..." attempted Sawatari.

"That's it! What's the problem now?" demanded Masumi, finally taking her headphones off and giving them both a monumental glare. Everyone knew you shouldn't bother her when she listened to her music.

"Nothing Masumi. Fancy pants here is just complaining about a well done and finished work," he said handing her the paper, which she skimmed through.

"Sawatari this project is done and you’ll get credit for it, for the last time _let it go_ ," she said in a final tone and put her headphones back in to stress the fact that the matter was closed.

"I rest my case," remarked Hokuto with a smirk.

Sawatari couldn't do much except put his research on the bin. He was tired anyway.

∞

"As much as I love having you hanging around, Yuzu, it's getting late and we have tests tomorrow," Masumi said, looking at her guest.

"Is it really that late?" she asked, looking at her scroll and promptly panicked at the hour. "Oh gosh I'm sorry! I just lost track of time and..." She plucked out her earbuds and gathered her stuff.

"Don't sweat it. Hope you like the albums," she said shrugging. After the library closed, Yuzu had practically rushed to her room and they had been listening to music for hours now.

"I did! I had no idea the physical editions came with so many extras," she said, looking longingly at the booklets and the posters; some of them were even autographed.

"We can go downtown and buy some one of these days. There are several music shows and concerts going on lately," she suggested. It should take her mind off from whatever was bothering her.

"I'm a little busy this week...and the other, but I'll let you know," answered Yuzu.

∞

His head was spinning and his whole body felt sore, but before he could process all of that, he felt himself being lifted again upside down, and a familiar pressure came back to his head.

"I said time!" yelled Glynda before Ankonkuji could do another chokehold on Sawatari while he uselessly tried to wriggle his way out of it.

"What a waste of my time," said the huge guy releasing him and then spitting between his feet. "I thought LDS people were supposed to be the finest of the finest, well that's unfair your team mates do deliver on that at least," he said with a cocky grin.

He just hung his head until the Professor told him to stand up and clear off the arena for another match. Once he was back at the stands, Yaiba was already down in a match against Yuya, and Masumi gave him a disapproving look.

"There's a reason why Glynda keeps setting you up in as many matches as possible, Sawatari, and one of them is not giving such pitiful spectacles. I know you're better than this," she said, not looking at him.

"Oh come on Masumi, it wasn't so bad. That guy is like a beast! He trashed me really bad too," Yuzu said, rubbing her back at the memory and unlike most people, she sounded sincere about it. Before he could even begin to feel better though someone spoke up,

"Please, don't defend his incompetence. You didn't do it nearly as bad and you landed quite a few blows before he took you out, unlike a certain someone," said Hokuto rolling his eyes.

On the arena, both Yuya and Yaiba seemed to be engaging into a weird 'tag you're it' match. Every time Yaiba successfully trapped Yuya in one of his delay glyphs, he managed to move at a regular speed and still deflect his attacks. Likewise, every time Yuya seemed close to land a hit, Yaiba evaded it by the skin of his teeth.

Finally, something that Sawatari recognized as a Synchronization glyph was activated, making everything way too fast for Sawatari's eyes to follow, as both Yaiba and Yuya became flashes inside of it, which eventually clashed.

When the bell rang and Yaiba's picture was the one that came victorious, he knew he had it in for more remarks, and looking at Yuya being patted on the back and reassured by Yuzu and Gongenzaka made him want to disappear into the ground.

∞

_'Breath in and out, in and out.'_

He felt his chest heave, falling into a rhythm with the fountain sounds and let his body follow the cue. His mind wandered to the feeling of the air around him along with some leaves and dust, then the dim sunlight on his skin warm and content-

"Sorry I'm late Gongenzaka," he heard Yuzu say with a labored breathing taking away his concentration.

"It's a little more than just late, Yuzu," he said. She was a whole twenty minutes late; this wasn't like her.

"Sorry, sorry! Port kept on talking for quite a while after someone told him it was our last class of the day. You know how he gets," she excused, but Gongenzaka knew her schedule didn't include Port's classes today…unless.

"Yuzu, exactly which electives are you taking? I know you're with Yuya in Dust Applications but…" Now that he remembered, she never mentioned what other she had chosen.

"Oh, I chose Port's course of Ancient History & Lore," she said, pulling her mat and sitting in a lotus position.

"I see. Let us get started then…" he said, reciting again the mantra of basic breathing exercises.

This time though, he couldn't get the same relaxation from before Yuzu arrived. A heavy mood was hovering above his shoulders he noticed, and seeing as she kept squirming, trying not to open her eyes or break position, he wasn't the only one.

He avoided mentioning that her shirt was put on backwards or that her bow was crooked.

∞

Yuya was glaring at him. There wasn't anything new in the fact itself, but right now, Reiji found himself pretty annoyed with it. He had a lot of work to catch up on and he was late for his weekly call to the library. He truly didn't have time for this.

"I don't get why this is necessary," he finally said with bite in his voice.

"Because the smell of this room is starting to give people headaches," he responded. It shouldn't be that hard to convince someone about something so …basic.

"I don't smell anything. Aren't you being a little too sensitive about it?" Yuya started again.

"I was actually talking about your friends. I would have thought you aware of Yuzu's sensitivity to strong smell," he said finally and watched how finally Yuya's tense shoulders fell down as the realization settled in and his face became downcast.

He then placed before Yuya a bucket full of cleaning supplies.

"You can start with taking your sheets to the laundry room, otherwise there'll be little change," he said, allowing himself to sigh in relief as he gathered his stuff. "Feel free to leave the windows open to ventilate in the meanwhile, and all the half eaten bowls of food have to go as well." Reiji was honestly surprised ants hadn't settled in the room at this point.

"Fine, why don't you chill?" he heard him grumble, obviously trying to get a rise out of him.

"You were the one who said we are not friends, Yuya Sakaki. I'm merely exercising my tasks as leader on the terms _you_ established," he said, feeling the corners of his mouth moving upwards.

Fortunately, that seemed to do it and Yuya fell silent with his mouth agape, clearly not expecting the comeback. Reiji just left him there, finally free to continue his business.

∞

"I swear he planned this to happen," he said to himself, looking at the result of his laundry tasks. Some idiot had left a green sock on the machine he was using and now ALL his sheets were either a mint green or had awful splotches of forest green all over them.

As he walked down the hallway, there was a whistle heard behind him.

"First time doing laundry?" Yaiba asked, obviously holding back a laugh after looking at the basket.

"…My dad usually does this stuff," he said for excuse.

"If it makes you feel any better, my first laundry round ruined a set of perfectly good shirts, and I'm pretty sure Hokuto almost lit fire to this place a couple weeks back too," he said, making his way to him.

"Oh come on, no one can mess up that bad…right?" he asked, his was a stupid oversight (no matter how good if felt blaming Reiji) but he knew the basics of it.

"Go figure. All I know is that one day, he came back to the room smelling like smoke and that the maintenance people keep glaring at him whenever he passes," he said with a shrug.

They both laughed once he finished the sentence, and Yuya did feel better afterwards.

"Noticed the foul smell is fading away from the hallway too," Yaiba said.

"Yeah, I repeat: my dad usually takes care of those things," Yuya responded with a sigh. He had hoped Reiji really was exaggerating.

Afterwards, they just walked to their dorms together. As they went, Yaiba started to whistle some tune which he found familiar, he just couldn't pin down from where.

"I guess it shouldn't surprise me that you knew the song," said Yaiba.

"Uh-What?" he asked, pulled out of his musings.

"You were humming it along with me... like right now," answered Yaiba with a puzzled look.

"I don't really know it. I must have heard it on the radio or something." Or from Yuzu's alarm; she tended to buy a lot of albums.

"What are you talking about? Isn't that from your dad's new show?" Yaiba questioned, scrolling down his screen and showed to Yuya a promo video that started with a black fadeout and then blue sparks giving place to ...his pendulum swinging around and 'drawing' words with each move all together with a background melody he remembered all too well now.

"This Sunday, remember to line up for the album compilation of the last success from Yusho Sakaki! The stage adaptation of Firebird! Including the song by the guest star…" Yuya just snatched the scroll and closed the window.

"…Ugh I can't believe him!" he said.

"Uh, sorry I was just… never mind, I was just wondering why you never mentioned your celebrity dad," he said, scratching the back of his head.

"Celebrity is a long stretch…" he said.

"Um, sorry, but I gotta say, the image of Yusho Sakaki wearing an apron and doing laundry is now stuck in my mind," Yaiba said.

"Wha- Ppppft…" he choked of laughter at Yaiba's disbelieving tone. He often forgot how much his dad liked to appear all marvelously dashing and mysterious to the crowd. They probably wouldn't imagine him wearing boxers and a flannel t-shirt, looking tired as ever while sipping coffee from a smiley face mug.

∞

"So are you saying he wants this album?" asked his boss again. Other people might assume it was out of exasperation, but Nakajima knew it was just his regular fact checking when he held out his scroll with the website announcement.

"If it's not a bother of course, sir," he quickly said. "He caught a live stream of the spectacle by chance and even though he says nothing… "Of course as his brother he already knew all the subtle hints: magazines left open where they could see it, drawings, and humming.

"I see. Well it's good that he finds entertainment and interests of his own. I'll see that he gets one and the poster too," said Reiji, pushing some buttons on his scroll.

"Thank you sir, also…your mother will be at an important meeting in Vale next week, and she requested that I schedule a meeting with you," Nakajima stated carefully.

"I see. Tell her that I can only do so in the afternoon when classes are over," he responded, hands locked together.

Nakajima sighed with relief at this. He knew how much his boss disliked those meetings, but he also knew that it would hang on his head instead if he refused.

∞

Objectively speaking, Beacon hadn't changed that much since the last time he was here, not even from when he was a student. But looking at the current students and their faces, it was much easier to notice all the subtle differences. More specifically about their attitudes as usual people were casual and laidback, but there was an energy coming from them; an expectancy. When he passed past a poster he remembered why. The Vytal Festival was officially announced now that the foreign ships had passed the inspections.

Not that people knew why, but it was part of the job.

He also noticed the subtler stares people kept on giving him as he passed through the gardens, whether it was his face tattoos, his piercing or his biker gang looks, it was all the same. Oh yeah, maybe the feathery vestiges of some of his hair strands extending right at the base of his nape was a factor too; you couldn't forget that.

Now where was that elevator again? Maybe he should ask some of the students, and luckily for him, there was one heading his way.

"Yo! Hey kid, do you happen to know where-" but before he could finish the sentence, he had bumped into her, almost making her trip but he caught her wrist before she fell.

"Thank you," the student said with a bow once she regained her footing and he let go of her.

"Be careful little lady, you'll trip over if you don't watch your step. Are you sure you're alright?" he asked, now getting a good look at her twin pigtails and rose colored hair. She looked a bit out of it and a shade paler than what one could consider healthy, but he chalked it off to the mild scare.

"Yes, I'm good," she said, raising her face to smile at him. "Sorry, were you asking for directions?"

And he lost his breath at the gesture, and finally got a good look at the wrist he had held a moment ago, and there it was staring back at him: the blasted bracelet.

"Never mind. I think I finally remembered my way around this place, but thank you…" he looked at her questioningly.

"Yuzu," she said and he just nodded as he watched her get back on her way. Right when the girl was out of sight, his scroll beeped.

"Yeah, yeah I'm already here. Yes I know I'm late. Sorry, the traffic was crazy, but you're never gonna guess who I found on the way," he said looking at the hallway 'Yuzu' had taken.

A heavy sigh made its way from his chest to his mouth. He could never catch a breath, could he?

∞

"Yuzu, where is Yuya? We had an assignment to deliver today," he asked after Oobleck's class.

"Oh right, he ...actually he handed me his part of the assignment to give it to you...because he felt sick," she said with a furrowed brow, obviously reciting from memory some excuse for him but instead of pressing on he took the papers. He knew how Yuya tended to deliver works: wrinkled, with bad grammar and missing some important points, this one was...not perfect but for starters it actually had Oobleck's name spelled correctly.

"...I see. Well maybe I can catch the Professor before the next class starts," he said, not missing the sigh of relief from her side.

"Thank you, and sorry I was going to give it to you earlier but… I dozed off and missed the class," she said, which came as no surprise considering how tired she looked at the moment something that Yuya had apparently missed.

"...It's just a minor assignment, y-he didn't have to miss class for this," Reiji said, adjusting his glasses. "He's now an aspiring huntsman. I'm sure he understands that much."

"He does...most of the time, hehe," she admitted.

"If you say so." The retort slipped before he could catch himself. It was only good luck that the Professor passed them in the moment, sparing him of her indignation.

∞

"Here's your food. Make sure to eat all of it, or do you not like stew? You're gonna break our cook's heart," the man said again once the tray was slipped through the door slit.

This time, no effort was wasted into engulfing the food. It had been a tough lesson how much the body could crash without proper sustenance and it was not time to tempt luck again. As soon as the now familiar feeling of almost smashing yet another pill, the process started again.

Carefully, without any retching sounds, the pill was spit on the floor. It was slippery and smaller than it usually was, meaning a little bit of it had gone made it past the throat.  _'And from there to my bloodstream… again.'_

But it was necessary. It was either the pills or the syringes, acting in a way not even bleeding out would stop the long term effects the same way purging did.

"Make sure to drink the water too, little one. We don't want you dehydrating again. I got scolded for your thoughtlessness," the man spoke again with distaste, obviously remembering the punishment. It had been the only solace after yet another failure.

Ah yes, the water, but still tried not to wince at its familiar medicine-like taste, but forcing a (dis)satisfied gasp after gulping down half of the glass.

And it immediately fell onto the metallic floor, breaking into pieces, the tremors already working its way to the limbs while trying unsuccessfully to remain steady.

"Feeling a little dizzy?" the man asked, clearly amused at the sounds he got to hear. Breathing became difficult and the spasms were too strong to even talk. That was his cue for his grunts to enter the cellar to take back the tray and clean the mess, checking vitals and any signs of harm and last checking eyes, confirming the drug's effect was active.

Those moments always went by in a haze, often accompanied by an aery feeling.

Once he left and was out of earshot pulled out the loot: the two largest glass pieces, and a small flashlight from underneath the clothes, the very same flashlight they used to check her pupils with. With great effort, the tiny batteries from inside the tube were pulled and along the glass shards and hid them inside the fabric of a red cloth, adding more weight to it. Once the tremors passed, a contented sigh and a tiny smile were formed, before counting the marks on the wall again: _'1 month…'_

∞

_'…3 weeks and 6 days.'_

Her eyes snapped open and for a couple seconds that was the only thought lingering on her mind. Once she propped up on her elbows and looked at the still nightly sky with half lidded eyes, Yuzu rolled over and went to sleep again, not before brushing her hand against the wall as if expecting to see something there, though not exactly sure what.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The working title for this chapter was some stupid pun about "brace yourselves winter is coming..." but that stopped being funny a long time ago :P, also I had fun making each little scene, I hope you guys enjoy it.


	14. 13.- A Fruitful Trip & Breaking Points

Vale was a city known for its thriving merchant community. As soon as you arrived in downtown, you couldn't take two steps without stumbling into small businesses, like mom and pop shops and street vendors. There were cafes, restaurants, bookstores, all of which were clean and legal transactions. And then there were the shadier, less rule-abiding businesses. Yes, there was little you couldn't find if you knew where to look for, and who you asked. Big corporations like Leo Corps and the Schnee Dust Company had one, maybe two branches, and being heavily regulated by the law and in turn their influence limited as well despite Vale's vicinity with Atlas.

Reiji would lie if he said it didn't play a small part on his choosing of a hunter's Academy.

Bringing him back to his mother being in the city, which in turn brought him the unavoidable question of what could possibly be so important for Himika Akaba to be here in person? If he remembered correctly, the last time she bothered to do so was when the LDS faculty held a press conference for the inauguration of the first Vale school branch.

And yet here she was, seated across him in restaurant of her choosing after she refused his suggestion of a nearby café.

"So tell me Reiji, how you have been during these weeks?" asked his mother after ordering for the two of them.

"Quite well mother," he answered, focusing on his cup of coffee. "How is everything back in Atlas?" he asked back.

"It has been quite a ruckus lately. You know how these animals like to cause problems," she said disdainfully.

"Another raid?" he asked, more out of obligation than real curiosity. What had they taken this time? Weapons? Dust? Machinery? Maybe the protesters were back? But the hesitant look on his mother's face, a rare sight made him pay attention again.

"If only. This time, they dared to attack the LDS faculty," she added with a sharp tone.

That was new. Incidents between the White Fang and companies of…questionable work ethics were hardly unheard of, but even after they radically changed their stand point in their fight for equality, they'd never attacked schools. In fact, as long as you weren't closely related or affiliated to Faunus exploiting organizations or agendas, you were on the safe side of the road.

"What types of attacks are we talking about?" he wondered. After all, his mother had the habit of exaggerating anything related to Faunus.

"This was not a business trip, Reiji. I came over to resolve some legal matters over the disappearance of a teacher from LDS," she said gravely.

That explained her choice of location then. You could never be sure of who was listening on the streets.

"Is he-" he tried to ask carefully. Abductions and executions were…not unheard of either, but the question remained: what could a simple professor done to deserve such fate?

"Nobody knows. Not a single trace left at his apartment. No signs of a struggle. Nothing was stolen. One day he didn't show up at the faculty and… I was strongly suggested by the Vale Police not to divulge any details but he's been missing for months and no corpse has been found either," she added, tightening her knuckles on the table. Reiji wasn't sure if it was out of sympathy or indignation at having been left out of the loop on such a serious matter.

"How come we are only hearing of this now?" He didn't remember anything being shown on the news either. Something like that would have made it to the headlines no doubt.

"That's why I came over here, but I was only given scarce details and flimsy promises of following up on the case," she said.

"If clues were so scarce, why are they sure the White Fang is involved?" he asked. No matter how much he considered it, there was no possible benefit from such crime.

"Who else could be capable of such a heinous acts? It was only a matter of time before they'd stoop so low. After all, they've been on our backs since I can remember," she responded, disappointing Reiji "Which brings me back to my question, Reiji, are you doing well?" Ah, so that what she meant by _'well'_.

"Mother, with all due respect, in all of Remnant, there are little places safer than Beacon," he replied, borrowing his father's preferred position with his hands hiding the lower side of his face.

"I respect your opinion, Reiji, but neither I nor your father think Ozpin can be trusted with the security of a whole Kingdom during the Festival. He's always stricken us as an old-fashioned man with a careless, hands off approach," she finished, clearly dissatisfied with his answer.

Of course they would think that. In Atlas, the walls have ears and the streets have eyes, all in the name of security and progress.

But at least it made her withdraw any intentions of requesting his return to Atlas. It was obvious that she considered the conversation over when she started to attend matters on her scroll. He didn't mind. He had already made sure to slip Reira's package into Nakajima's hands before, so he copied his mother and started planning for next week’s field trip.

Yes, nothing had changed.

∞

"Please, students, the Emerald Forest is indeed beautiful, but we are not here to sight-see," said Glynda, scolding Mieru for taking a selfie with her scroll. "Professor Peach has asked you all to collect very special samples from very special trees deep in the forest. Professor Hogan and I are here to…"

***CLICK***

Professor Glynda stopped talking, her eyes searching for the guilty scroll. Yuzu could only guess that she was fighting the impulse of face palming when her sight landed on her comrade Professor taking a group photo of another team.

"Here you go guys, now be careful not to split and watch your step!" he said, throwing them back the device, and going back to stand next to Glynda. "And remember to listen to everything Miss Glynda tells you! Go on Glyn," he said.

She just stared at him, sighed at his clueless face, and continued:

"As I was saying, Professor Crow and I are merely here to ensure none of you die," she finished.

As Yuzu, and pretty much the entire class just stood there waiting for further instructions, she had to muffle a laugh when they all saw Glynda using her shoulder to push him to the front.

"Wh-Oh right! You all heard Glyn, we're gonna watch over you while you collect some Golden Peaches from some rare trees on the west side of the Forest. You all got your assignment sheets right? The differing traits of the fruits are written down there. Now each one of you will gather four peaches; that makes a dozen per team, and not a single one more. It might be harvest time, but don't be abusive," he said signaling the direction to take. "Oh, I don't think I need to tell you this, but remember to watch out for Grimms. The forest is full of them."

As the class split into their respective teams, Yuzu was able to hear the Professors' light squabble:

"This is why it's important to have schedule meetings before classes," Glynda was saying.

"Come on, that came out great!" Yuzu heard before taking off with the class.

∞

They found peach trees easily enough, while they were the only ones with any fruits in them none of them looked like anything but regular pink hued peaches, until they went deeper in the forest and found massive trees three times the size of the regular ones. They could barely see the top of them.

"These must be the ones! They smell different, so sweet and ripe!" said Yuzu with another sniff of the air.

"Are you sure they? Don't look _'golden'_ or anything," said Yuya, squinting at them. It was true; they sported a combination of yellow, orange and red soft hues.

"The name comes from an old travel journal," said Reiji, looking at the sheet. "The author must have been trying to be poetic," he commented.

"That could be. I can see how in a different light they could look golden though," said Yuzu.

"Fine, fine. I'll go pick them up, and you can catch them from here, right?" said Yuya, already half-way through the trunk.

"Is he crazy? These are easily spoiled if they fall on the ground if you throw them too hard. I'll go with him. Give me your bags," Yuzu said, jumping on the lowest branch.

"You don't have to do this, Yuzu. He can make more than one trip," countered Gongenzaka.

"She has a point though. He could do that but he won't," said Reiji, throwing them the bags. Almost like a prediction, something fell in between their feet: a half smashed peach.

"Yuya stop! I'm coming for them," said Yuzu in between jumps.

Once they were both left alone, Gongenzaka noticed that Yuzu's bag had been left behind. When he picked it up, a bunch of papers, notebooks and stuff fell down, which Reiji was quick to start gathering.

"I didn't know Yuzu was _that_ interested in weaponry?" said Reiji, picking up a couple of gun handling books.

"It must be for the Mechanics course. She's been trying to make her weapon more compact and easier to transport," he said, remembering the makeshift toolbox she had converted one of her drawers into. "When did she buy these?" he asked, holding a bunch of fabrics and a sewing kit. What could she need that for?

"This is a special thread and needle used for hunter's supplies and Dust infused fabrics," said Reiji, holding a bobbin to his eye and that's when Gongenzaka noticed the Leo Corps logo on its container.

"Oh, must be for the Dust course then. She's also asked me how to make clothes sturdier after her shirt almost got ripped in a match, now that I remember," he said, trying to organize the bag so they wouldn't spill its content again.

"I thought you said she took the Ancient History course?" questioned Reiji, handing him the last papers.

"She does, every Tuesday and Thursday. Mondays and Wednesdays are for the Dust course," he said absentmindedly, until he caught Reiji's staring at the bag and then at him…wait, Mechanics was a heavy course that took three hours of Saturday.

And just yesterday he had heard Yaiba and Hokuto asking about the assignments for the Culture's and Crisis Evacuation course, just what was she-

"Hey guys, we got them," said Yuya, landing in front of them, carrying a bag full of peaches with Yuzu on tail with the other one. Looking at them up close now, he understood why Yuzu had been adamant to keep them safe. They all had a strong sweet smell and although he hated to admit it, he felt his mouth water at the sight. He briefly wondered if they would be allowed to eat some of the samples.

"Yuya, we were told to pick up four peaches per person, no more and no less," reminded Gongenzaka, catching his hand just as he was about to bite into one.

"Relax, we took a few extra ones. They just look so good and…" he stopped talking when Reiji held out his hand for the bags.

"These trees only flourish and give fruits every once in a blue moon. That's why we shouldn't take that many," said Reiji.

"I already picked them, didn't I? Are we just gonna let them rot or something?" said Yuya, refusing to give the bag to him.

"We are still giving the surplus to Professor Peach. I'm just going to let the teachers know about this so it they put it on the report."

"So basically, you're gonna snitch on me over some fruit?" said Yuya, almost dropping the bag before he caught it.

"Thank you, Gongenzaka. Now could you go to tell the teachers we completed the assignment and about the extra ones too?"

"Wait, I'll go with you Gongenzaka. I don't like the current company," he said, catching up to him. "Coming Yuzu?" he asked turning his head to her, and Gongenzaka noticed the suddenly sunken shoulders and tired eyes as she sighed before responding:

"Um its ok, Yuya. I'll catch up to you guys later," she answered, leaving Gongenzaka to deal with an even more grumpy and sour-faced Yuya than moments ago.

∞

"Why are these peaches so special anyway?" asked Yaiba to Masumi as he smelled one of them. It was sweet and seemed delicious. Too bad he didn't really enjoy sweet flavors; he preferred the regular, slightly sour peaches.

"It's an old tale about a forest with peaches that were supposed to grant immortality, guarded by a witch I think?" she said in a worked up voice. They were all perched up in the huge tree, and she was trying to get ahold of a particularly big and ripe peach.

"Forest? I thought it was a tree that only gave mature peaches once every hundreds of years or something," said Hokuto, working his way through the branches.

"Uh, something like that. Either way, it was supposed to be tended by the witch... or was it a goddess? It's a popular belief, or a religion? I mean there are temples and worshippers…" Masumi said obviously struggling to remember all the details.

"Yeah I remember too. She commanded the cosmic forces, overseer of life and death, creation and destruction…she controlled the stars and all that," added Hokuto.

Both he and Masumi exchanged a look.

"You know an awful lot about the subject, and now that you mentioned it, I remember that a certain heap of seven stars is connected to the said goddess," teased Masumi, and the moment Yaiba saw his embarrassed face, he took the lead.

"Now, doesn't that make you a momma's boy on a totally new and divine level?" he said but before he could laugh something sweet and juicy was stuck into his mouth.

"Shut up! It's not my fault my grandma still prays to her!" Hokuto said, pressing the peach to his mouth even more until he realized Yaiba was about to choke on it.

As his mouth was free, Yaiba spat all the juice he could. It really was way too sweet, more than syrup.

"Wait a minute, talking about spoiled boys, where's Sawatari?" asked Masumi out of nowhere.

"He was right behind us and then…" started Hokuto and suddenly distant rumbles were heard.

"Relax, he was supposed to be waiting for us down …there," said Yaiba, losing his breath when he pointed to the empty place under the tree.

∞

"You didn't have to come here with me," said Yuzu once they reached a clearing with what appeared to be an ancient altar, pillars falling down and platforms with some unreadable inscriptions. A little farther all the cliffs and mountains seemed to be connected by arc structures, some of them still holding, others had fallen down a long while ago.

"It's not a problem. It seems most teams are taking their time too," Reiji said from behind her. He didn't sound interested in the place, but again, he hardly seemed to express any of it.

"It's just from the moment Professor Peach mentioned this trip, I wanted to see this place with my own eyes, and feel it too, we've read a lot about it," she said sitting a little on the highest point of the cliff.

"I've heard it is full of interconnected caverns and tunnels," said Reiji again.

Yes, it was, and she was currently drawing a map in her head about them. Yuya and Gongenzaka never quite got it, but the process always helped her relax, and, as corny as it sounded, to feel connected to the place. It was an amazing feeling; no wonder people used to believe that these mountains hid the place where the earth and heaven connected. If she could just shut her body down for a couple minutes, just disconnect and feel nothing, not even her mind nagging with pending homework, classes, chores, ridiculous discussions over an open window or food leftovers, or how much she just wanted to crawl into the bed and sleep all day long…

"-ten Yuzu," she jolted when she felt a hand on her shoulder, and remembered she wasn't alone. "Did you hear that?" Reiji asked with a slight edge to his voice, which was code for: time to freak out and, a lot.

***STOMP***

"It coming here from the south path," she said, preparing her shield and sword, knowing Reiji took his position too hidden between the bushes.

And then it stomped: right in between the trees falling down, a Death Stalker appeared. It doubled the size of a car, maybe even more. Yuzu felt herself hesitate a little when she noticed the extensive white armored plates and the humongous stinger, but when she saw what – or rather whom – was grabbed to the tail for dear life she got over it.

"Sawatari! What in heaven's sake are you doing there?" she yelled, abandoning plan A and starting to close in on the insect.

The moment its five pairs of eyes fixated on her with its claws aiming at her. She rolled on the ground and fired her gun at its visage, then jumping on top of the disoriented thing and ran to Sawatari.

Of course the Death Stalker didn't remain still and she saw the sting aiming at her.

So she jumped and when Sawatari's terrified face almost crashed with hers, she grabbed him by the waist and landed harshly on the ground.

Before the Grimm could turn around and continue the assault, dozens of blue flashes pierced its lower body, finally freezing it in place.

Rather than trashing around trying to break its trap, the insect stayed put as if looking for the source of the attack.

Once Reiji finally appeared next to them, they both looked questioningly at Sawatari, waiting for an explanation.

"What? I was just exploring the forest a little and there was this cave that seemed to be housing something shiny and golden. I thought that maybe it could be the famous peaches and obviously I, the great Sawatari, had to investigate…" he started saying with a smug voice until he noticed the looks both of them were giving him.

He just hung his head and sighed before adding:

"You could at least say something before letting me make a fool of myself," he complained, cradling his head in his hands.

"We can't go back with the class before taking care of it, or else we risk that it will follow us for more preys," said Reiji, apparently deciding to ignore the whole deal.

"What? Why can't we just call one of the teachers? They would be more than capable of taking care of …that, right?" asked Sawatari.

Then the three of them heard how the ice holding it down started to crack.

"They won't reach us in time… and there’s no signal" said Yuzu, and in perfect timing, when she closed the scroll bits of ice and frost were flying in her eyes. It would have been beautiful in any other moment, but right now, she could only concentrate on the red eyes looking at them.

"Yuzu, we're doing the Second Triad formation, but you'll take Yuya's place in it. Sawatari, this is what I need you to do," he said, filling him in on the details, which surprisingly Sawatari seemed all too happy to follow without protest.

"Roger," both of them said and watched him disappear.

From below the earth, Reiji waited until Sawatari had the Death Stalker on his wire's grasp and, as expected, they didn't slice the bone plates nor the exoskeleton, but once he infused them with all his available Dust, he tightened the hold and made a wave slam.

The added impulse of the Dust made the move powerful enough to lift the creature into the air, which was his cue.

He fired an arrow right into the middle of the lower side of its body, rather than expel the energy tendrils it was stuck to the half. Now it was Yuzu's turn.

She wasn't as fast as Yuya, but she managed to make it to the top of the Grimm and cracked the plates with a clean pierce of her sword right across the point where the arrow was stuck.

It resulted in a chain reaction that activated the arrow and enveloped both the insect and Yuzu into the attack, but right before it exploded mid-air, Sawatari's wires circled her by the waist and safely into the ground.

The three of them watched at how the explosion fired little pieces of black and white chunks all around the place, and the rumbling had scared the birds (Nevermores?) from the trees around and flied far away into a flock.

"Phew. So much for an uneventful field trip," said Yuzu with relief.

"That was awesome!" screamed Sawatari once the attack wave died down, only to bend over and shudder, holding his stomach where he was apparently hurt.

Reiji couldn't personally share either of their sentiments. He could only be glad of coming out of this unscathed. He pulled out his scroll and noticed that it still didn't have signal and less than 5% of battery left. They were really lucky to have made it out alive from this.

Once the signal came back, he only had time to send an unfinished text before it died.

∞

When MSST minus Sawatari had appeared in the clearing looking frantically around as if looking for someone, they eventually admitted they lost track of Sawatari to both teachers who had declared no one was allowed to leave the clearing. Yuya got a bad feeling: where was Yuzu? She was fine right? She would have called if she ran into trouble.

Then again, the entire class had unsuccessfully tried to reach Sawatari via scroll to no avail. Gongenzaka looked worried beyond anything as well. They had tried to sneak off before, but out of nowhere, the Faunus Professor stopped them and they had finally come clean to them, saying that they couldn't contact two of their teammates either. Luckily, while explaining an explosion was seen not too far ago, which to their immense relief both he and Gongenzaka recognized as Yuzu's and Reiji's weapons, and shortly after got a message from them, claiming to be on their way.

Sadly, no mention was made of Sawatari, and people were becoming restless.

"For the last time, Miss Koutsu, where did you last see your partner? If we are to make a search party we need some leads." Everyone heard Glynda chewing out on Masumi, who looked on the border of having a breakdown.

"In all fairness, Glyn, it's better if we start now before it gets darker. Besides, all this stress isn't making the forest any safer. As soon as the other ones return we should send the kids back," said Crow with his arms crossed.

"What? No! We can't leave without him!" protested Hokuto of all people and Yuya guessed he had been the one responsible for keeping an eye on him.

"I'm afraid we don't have a better choice," said Glynda, starting to type on her scroll. She never looked all that happy to begin with, but Yuya could tell she was simmering below the surface.

"…Sawatari, I told you to keep pressure on your wound, or you're gonna make it worse!" Everyone went still when the voice was heard along with the rustle of bushes and branches.

"But it hurts!!" and of course, there was Sawatari's whiny voice.

From the bushes appeared, Yuzu aiding Sawatari came into the clearing. Behind them was Reiji with his bow spread out, keeping guard.

Before either he or Gongenzaka hurried to their side, Masumi had dashed past him and grabbed her partner by the collar.

"Where in heaven's sake have you been?! Damn it, what part of stay behind us didn't you understand?!" she ranted while shaking him.

"Masumi, be reasonable. He's injured," said Reiji, separating them and putting himself between them. He allowed the teachers to take Sawatari apart to check his wound.

"You don't say? And what idiocy did he get into this time? And let me guess, you had to save his ass from it too!" she exclaimed.

Watching Yuzu hesitate was enough telling of Sawatari being the guilty party.

"Actually it was our fault," protested Yuzu. "I-"

"We wanted to see the ruins of an old temple and we didn't notice a Grimm tailing us. Sawatari was only caught in the fire by chance," Reiji finished, adjusting his glasses and putting his weapon away. His words made Masumi relax, but she wasn't entirely convinced. She opened her mouth, prepared to argue with him, but a hand on her shoulder stopped her.

"Very well, everyone luckily your classmate is er… mostly unharmed, but he still needs some medical attention, so we're taking off now," said Crow.

**∞**

"Did you lock yourself out again?" he heard Yuzu ask.

"Not exactly…" he answered. Nobody was in the room. His scroll had been rendered useless and while the school had issued him a new one, they needed his parent's written consent to program his personal data into it.

But so far, they still hadn't answered. Figures since once again they were busy campaigning. They usually arrived home past midnight.

"Uh, I'm going to the library to return some books. Wanna come?" she offered.

"Well, it's not like I have anything better to do right now," he said, huffing.

"Eh, I'll take that as a yes," she deadpanned.

They didn't chat on the way there. He was not in the mood and Yuzu seemed to realize this, not trying any lame attempts at chit chat. Once she had returned her books (way too many for classes he noticed) he was looking at the intercommunications section. Maybe if he called he would be lucky and his dad would have returned already?

"Go ahead. I was going to check out some stuff too, anyway," said Yuzu with a knowing smile.

Once he was seated, the call miraculously made it through and his father's round face and mustache visualized on the screen, and he felt his spirits lift.

"Papa! Hi it's been quite a while hasn't it? Listen, remember when I told you about the trip to the forest?" he hurried to say, before getting sidetracked.

"My beloved son, you know it's my secretary who checks those emails. Either way, we are holding a reunion with the ambassador from Mistral, maybe you've heard of him in the news…?"

He let his dad finish doing the appropriate 'oh' and 'yes' answers every time but finally managed to get back on topic.

"Papa, I need you to authorize a permission for a new scroll. Mine got busted and I can't even enter my room without it," he said in his best pleading voice that always managed to get him candy and videogames.

"Uh? Oh right, of course. I can't let my beloved son and team leader – a born leader, just like his dad - go without his precious scroll can I? I'll send it back at the end of the week," he answered, signaling to end the call.

"No Papa wait I can't wait that …long" he said to the now empty screen, feeling like hitting his head on the desk.

Until he heard some rustling behind him.

"Ugh, just because you and your teammates don't have a sense of privacy or personal space, doesn't mean you can go around listening to other people's calls," he complained.

"Um, sorry I was just wondering why were you taking so long, hehe," she said scratching the back of her head, and going by the sheepish smile, there was no way she hadn’t heard the exchange.

"So will you be ok? Without the scroll I mean," she questioned, but he didn't answer and just stood up and with his best condescending look he told her:

"Will you stop meddling in my business? First in the Forest – which I totally had under control by the way – and now this? Why don't use that energy to fix yourself? You look awful," he said looking at her and realized her hair was a nestled mess, she still had some dirt on her face and arms, not to mention the bags under her eyes and judging by how her skirt hanged slightly loose around her waist, it was obvious she wasn't taking care of herself. When was the last time she had a proper night of sleep and meal anyway?

 _'...Wait.'_  He did a double take at her – really looking at her in weeks – and her now shaking shoulders.

"Jeez you're right, don't you? I do look awful, I feel awful …" she said faltering, almost dropping the books she held.

Once the tears started to flow, there was only one coherent thought in his head:

_'...Crap.'_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello people! Hope you enjoyed this chap, which was one of the hardest to write (barring the conclusion of the volume) but I was quite satisfied with how it turned out.
> 
> Brace yourselves since we're heading into some really plot-heavy and emotional struggles stuff.


	15. 14.- A Stroll Into the Garden

Sawatari loathed seeing people cry. Scratch that, he  _hated_  it.

It was messy, undignified, embarrassing, messed with your clothes and gave you puffy eyes and a running nose that made you look unattractive no matter who you were. He never knew what to do with crying people either. No matter what he tried, it usually ended with yelling, slapping, punching or all of the above, often accompanied by even more crying.

After the little mop show Yuzu had made of herself - in the middle of the library for heaven's sake – and gotten themselves kicked out, he had been mildly relieved to see her already wiping off her tears and trying to fix her face, even if she wasn't particularly good at it.

Now this was something he could help with. So armed with nothing but foundation, tissues, a brush and some spare hair gel, he proceeded to drag her to the closest restroom and got to work.

"There. Not my best job, but you pass as decent and not 100% pitiful," he commented once he finished fixing her pigtails.

"Uh…Thanks," she said in a low voice, not even looking at the mirror to admire his job. The nerve of her!

"You'll need this too," he said, throwing her his eye drops. "A good hair job and cleaning your face is useless if your eyes look like those of an insect."

"Sorry for bothering you. You are being so… thoughtful… Are you really Sawatari?" she asked after a full minute of blinking.

Instead of answering, he just turned around and started walking away.

"Wait! I'm sorry, that was uncalled for. Um, here, I think I'm fine now," she hurried to give back the eye drops and bowing slightly.

"Tssk. No you're not," he responded.

"What?" she asked back, eyes still downcast.

"All I did was put powder on you that will last a couple hours, and all you did was spill out some tears that will alleviate you for a couple days tops," he said, almost surprising himself. Really he should just ignore her and be on his way.

And he saw them coming again from the corner of her eyes.

"Oh come on, don't cry again. You're gonna ruin my work and look even worse afterwards," he said, attempting to calm her.

Fortunately, she held herself together and breathed through her nose.

"Wanna talk about what's bothering you?" he asked her, immediately thinking,  _'I'm so going to regret this.'_

"It's complicated," she attempted. "It's just…have you ever felt like no matter how much you want something, how hard you're working, there are days where you wish you could throw it all outthe window and never look back?" she asked.

He was reminded of every time he had been locked outside the dorm. Of the times wasted in some team project just to learn that his part had already been submitted. Of having to suffer through all his assignments being pre-approved by Masumi or Hokuto before he could deliver them. Of all the times he had his ass handed to him during Combat class and having to be reprimanded by both Glynda and his teammates.

"Yes, I have."

∞

"Oi, Yuzu, what are you doing?" asked Yuya when he noticed her packing some really weird stuff, like a coat, her wallet, money and some other stuff not needed for classes.

"Just getting ready for tomorrow, as usual." Right, as if the fake laughter didn't give it away, he noticed the lack of notebooks and books.

"Are you kidding me? I never thought I'd live to see this day coming. Yuzu is-" he said with a grin forming on his lips, but a hand was put on his mouth before he could finish.

Looking at her panicky face and checking around as if looking for spies even though they were the only people in the room was beyond funny.

"Hush it. Look, can you cover for me tomorrow? You owe me this time you know," she said, attempting to sound intimidating, but it didn't work when she forced it.

"Only if you bring me a souvenir," he teased. "Like can you bring me a new toolkit? I lost mine…again."

"…Fine, but remember not a word." She told him, holding one finger to her mouth for emphasis.

_"So if my calculations are correct, the 9:30 AM cable car should be absolutely empty. All Professors have classes and since the school's personnel arrives earlier …" he said._

_"Maybe, but what about getting to them in the first place? We have to pass by the library, some classrooms, and the dining hall. We're bound to be spotted by someone," she retorted._

_"Ugh, let me finish, will you?! As I was saying, that time is not just the time where all professors and personnel are on clock, but it's also the time when the librarian starts his rounds. You know, putting books back in their place. He has to follow around the maintenance people to make sure nothing gets water damaged. The cooks receive their daily food supplies for lunch and dinner, so they're too busy checking in the food and inventorying it. We'll stroll in quietly and nobody will notice."_

_"Fine, fine, but what about the tickets for the cable cart? They need to scan our scrolls and it will leave our Students ID information in the registry."_

_"I saved the best for last," he said in triumphal and pulled out his new scroll in the overly dramatic way only Sawatari could. "As you already know, my parents have not sent the authorization to the office. Sure I can't make calls, emails or update anything with an unregistered scroll, but I just came from checking and…voila!" and he pulled out two tickets with no registration number, no identification, or even date, but with the functional hologram in the corner that would open the doors for them._

_"…Well I have no more complaints. I can't believe we're actually doing this," Yuzu said with a smile. It was almost scary to see him having things planned out so well like this._

She squished down the guilt of tasking Yuya with what was basically lying to their friends, because tomorrow morning, Yuzu Hiragi and Sawatari Shingo were going to skip school.

∞

As usual, the professors didn't bother to check if everyone was present or not. Missing class was not enforced, since the mentality of the class was that education was the student's responsibility. Plus, Friday was usually the day when all of them had the most spread out classes, making it unlikely that anyone would wonder where Yuzu was.

Really, if it wasn't for the four-eyed person in front of him, this would probably the easiest favor ever.

"So you're saying that Yuzu has some school work to catch up on and is going to absent to do it?" asked Reiji with a skeptical voice.

"Yep," he replied. When questioned there were three basic rules: 1) The cover must be both unverifiable and believable. 2) The art of backpedaling may save your butt. And 3) never elaborate beyond necessary (if possible, stick to monosyllables). Two out of three meant so far it was good.

"I see," he said, adjusting his glasses. Really, maybe he should get an elastic band with the amount of times he did that per conversation, and there he was now: eyes fixated on him as if trying to gauge the truth out of him, "We had an assignment to do, but I suppose she needs a break. Considering her workload, it would be inhumane of me to demand it."

"Yeah, she needs to cool off. Everyone needs to every once in a while, or so my Dad says anyway," he added as afterthought.

"He would definitively be glad that you take his advice at heart then," said Reiji, and Yuya didn't know how, but that was definitely a jab at him no doubt.

"What is that supposed to mean? Are you seriously saying that people should work themselves to death? Man, I feel sorry for _your_ Dad's employees."

"…There is a difference between rests and goofing around. The first is good and necessary for productivity, the latter means lazing around and augmenting your team and your friend's workload due to _your_ neglect," countered Reiji.

"I don't goof around! And if Yuzu and Gongenzaka have any troubles with my part as a team member, they would tell _me_."

"Right, because you're so open to feedback," said Reiji in an unusual display of sarcasm.

"…I can't believe I'm hearing friendship advice from the resident hermit. Why are you still here anyway? Don't you have some book to bury your nose into?" he said, expecting the comment to sting.

Instead, he watched Reiji smirk and say, "…True, I do have some study to be done. Thank you for letting me know about Yuzu and for the reminder." And then the guy just walked past him.

 _'Ugh, he did it again.'_  And as usual, Yuya was the one left off still annoyed and fuming.

∞

They allowed themselves to sigh in relief once they caught the tram to downtown right on time, not that they would have to rush that much if Yuzu hadn't messed up with the ticket machine - as if it could be more obvious that she was a rural girl – forcing him to pay for an extra dozen tickets.

"What did I tell you? When in doubt you just need to trust the man Sawatari," he said, pumping a fist on his chest swelling with pride.

"That gesture only fits Gongenzaka you know?" she answered with a sweat drop.

He felt himself falter at the comment, but refused to let his spirits get down… too much. After all, this was a day to have some fun, not to sulk.

"Wow, look at all those ships! And the boats!" she exclaimed, sticking her face to the window. There were, in fact, a lot of airships from Atlas and ships from Vacuo and Mistral, not to mention that the streets looked packed with people, far more than usual. This was a good thing; after all, people would hardly pay any attention to a couple of school age teens in the midst of this crowd.

"They must be merchants for the Vytal Festival," he said as the cable cart descended and the decorations and Welcome signs started to become visible. "Tourists will come next, and last will be the students from the other schools." After all they didn't have to worry about hotels and guest houses to run out of rooms. "Eh, maybe I can give them these. It's not like I'll be using all of them."

"Sorry, there's no tram in Patch. Everyone uses cars since it's mostly small villages. I've only ever been in Vale twice, and I only remember the last time Vale hosted the Vytal Festival." Yeah, he remembered that time, almost eight years ago. It had caused quite a commotion as the winners had been an all-Faunus team.

"So, are you guys participating in it?" he asked.

"You betcha! Yuya, Gongenzaka and I have been looking forward to it!" she said, waiving her fist in the air and a starry-eyed look if he ever saw one. "Do you imagine what it will be like once we get into the Coliseum? In the same arena so many warriors have been in the past? The very same Yoko and my Dad were champions in their youth..." she said and Sawatari continued to let her chatter away some inconsequential facts about the Festival and its past winners.

He could only think about how his team's warnings about stepping up his game had been increasing as time passed and the Festival got closer, lest his poor scores in Combat classes would endanger their chances of entering the Tournament. There was also the fact that, to this day, almost at the end of the semester, he was still the only student who had yet to score a win.

Then he felt himself be pulled to the floor.

"…Sawatari! We're gonna miss our stop!" he heard Yuzu as she kept on pulling him through the entrance.

∞

"Hey, isn't that him?" Hokuto asked to Masumi who was finishing her third plate of steak.

"Who?" she asked back, following his line of sight.

"Don't stare! It's rude!" he exclaimed, trying to lay his head lower.

"I don't even know who you are talking about. What's the big deal anyway?" she said, annoyed and still trying to catch sight of whoever _'him'_ was.

"The Faunus Professor. You know, the one who went with us to the field trip? the one Reiji said was giving that weird course. What was his name?" he pondered after said person finally passed by their table.

Despite his remark to Masumi, Hokuto himself couldn't help but stare a little too, along with all the nearing tables. He had a wild mop of orange hair held up high with a headband, making absolutely no effort to hide the vague plumage vestiges at the base of his neck fading away the lower it wen. However, that was arguably the least striking part of his appearance. He had four face tattoos and pierced ears that only added to his thuggish look. The combat boots, biker pants and leather vest didn't help either.

He even had the gall of strolling around with a grin that yelled a devil-may-care attitude.

"He looks too …young to be a professor," Masumi commented in an obvious attempt to sound polite, at least as long as he was within earshot.

"He has quite a nerve if you ask me!" Hokuto argued, sticking his fork into his lunch. "I mean you'd think he would make an effort to look civilized if he was granted the privilege of working here."

"Well, it's a luck nobody asked you then," said Yaiba's voice, sitting down across of him. "I think it's refreshing and I just saw him parking a wicked looking bike. Talk about life goals," said Yaiba with a fond look.

"A bike? On school grounds? Seriously?" he asked instead.

"Ugh here we go again. Why do you even care? We're not even in his course," asked Yaiba.

"Please, it's a matter of principles!" he responded.

"Oh really? I'll tell you what, if you can tell me his name, his full name, I'll gladly discuss his looks with you," said Yaiba. "And no cheating, you can't check the scroll."

"Uh, of course I remember it was a bird name right?" But he was out of words and he hated the triumphant look Yaiba sported now.

"Hahaha, I won Hokuto and just to rub salt on it, his name is Crow Hogan." He obviously waited a little relishing on his sour face. "Hey Masumi look! The Star Child is pouting again."

"Don't any of you feel like we're forgetting something?" she asked, standing upright all of the sudden.

∞

"Whatever. It's not my fault you have a terrible taste in comics," said Sawatari, giving his back to her.

"Me? Sure, keep talking Mr.  _'I like the Grimm Slayer comics,'_ " she countered while still holding the last issue of the Wilt Rose Chronicles.

"At least in those things get done! When was the last time Rose was actually looking for her family's murderer? She just keeps getting sidetracked every time! And don't even get me started on that lame asspull of the 'Chosen Warrior' stuff!" Yuzu felt a vein pop at this.

"Ugh, that is so typical! If you actually read the story you'd realize that all of those 'sidetracks' were clues to her hidden fate and helped her to alleviate her thirst for vengeance, but sure, keep on with your bloodthirsty hunters and impossible feats if you want!" she finished, sticking out her tongue.

"Uh, excuse me, are you buying those? It's just you're holding the line and…" said the incredibly patient old man at the counter with his hands up in the air.

"Oh my! Sorry mister! Here, can you wrap this up please?" she said, handing him her comics and a couple ones she planned to gift to Yuya and Gongenzaka. She'd even picked up a graphic novel that seemed to fit Reiji's tastes along with the new toolkits Yuya asked for.

"Same here," said Sawatari.

"Say, aren't you Beacon's students? Are you on a fieldtrip?" asked the old man, looking at her purchases, then at her waist rap – she had had the good sense of keeping her weapon deep into her bag - and then at the clock.

Before her panicked face would rat them out, she felt an elbow on her tummy as Sawatari pulled his perfect smile and 'dashing' looks.

"Yes indeed we are! Enjoying the festive atmosphere!" he said, adding a flick of his hair for added effect. If the old man bought his act or not, Yuzu couldn't tell, as he just smiled and proceeded to charge them without asking any questions. Of course, right as they were about to leave, Sawatari bumped into her and dropped his wallet.

Luckily, the person next in the line picked it up.

"Here," he said with an affable smile. It was a boy probably about their age with a sky blue hair and was slurping on the biggest lollipop Yuzu had ever seen, which seemed to earn a sneer from Sawatari, not that the boy looked like he cared.

"Uh, thanks," she said in Sawatari's place as he seemed unwilling to do so. Rather than answering, the boy only brushed them off and brought a huge amount of candy to the old man's counter (and dismay).

∞

_'Well, she's certainly taking her time.'_

That was the thought running through Yuya's mind as he glanced at the clock. It was 2 PM, and after this they had Combat class and would be off for the day, but there was still no sign of Yuzu coming back. Then again, she hadn't really told him what time she would be expected to return, but it would be much harder to hide her absence after classes.

Heck, now that he remembered all first years had Combat class together, he'd be lucky if no one asked a thing, but maybe - just maybe - people would let it slide and Glynda wouldn't notice either seeing as Yuzu had a high standing on the scores and the better you got the less matches you'd be scheduled for.

"Yuya! You have a lot to explain," he heard a booming voice behind him.

And there he was: Gongenzaka, accompanied not by Reiji as he expected, but by a very sour faced Masumi.

"Uh…Are you sure? Because we need to get to class and you know how Glynda gets on our heels…" he attempted, but he was already being dragged by the neck.

∞

"That was fun! Didn't think you had it in you!" Yuzu said as they sat in the park, enjoying a couple of milkshakes courtesy of the arcade.

"Hmph, I hope you learn to never question my abilities again!" yelled Sawatari, not without a bit of exhaustion showing off though.

Over the course of the day they had gone to the skate park where both of them had mostly been falling down on the pavement until they changed their skateboards for roller skates, just to be kicked out when Sawatari started to use his wires to make them jump around the place. They made a stop at different food trucks to grab some - no scratch that, lots - of lunch food (admittedly at her own insistence). After getting some antacid for Sawatari, they stumbled upon a clothing store that he had gone crazy about because of the bargains and dragged her to them.

She had been appalled to learn that even with the discounts it would have cost not her month's allowance but her Dad's salary to even buy anything here, but since it had been her fault that Sawatari had been sick in the first place she was willing to go through the hassle. Once he finished his shopping spree he surprised her with the really nice blue coat she had been eyeing a little earlier. Of course he denied knowledge of that and claimed it had been really cheap anyway.

Afterwards, they had wasted lots of hours in the arcade breaking as many records as possible which earned them pizza and the milkshakes they were currently enjoying.

"It's getting late. Maybe we should head back now," she suggested, looking at the park's clock. It was almost 3 PM.

"What, are you all funned out? I guess I shouldn't expect you to match my pace or is the team already needing their nanny back?"

"That's not fair. I'm no nanny and they're all big boys."

"Yeah you're right. It's not fair. At least nannies get a paycheck and benefits," he says with a sly smile. "What? Are you going to pretend that you are not here at least partly to get away from them too?"

No, she couldn't deny it, but she wasn't about to say it out loud either. It would make her sound like a horrible person.

"Look, if wanting some time for yourself makes you an awful person, then that makes two of us," he said with arms behind the top of his head. It was almost like he was reading her mind. He noticed her stare and continued, "Surely you didn't think I'm here purely out of the goodness of my heart? I needed some time out too."

"From what exactly?" She didn't remember seeing much of Sawatari lately. Then again, most of the past weeks were like a blur for her.

"…Not for myself, for my teammates. Look, I don't care if you think it's childish but…they are always running off, doing their own stuff, only ever bothering to talk to me in order to chew me out, and I figured I earned my right to that to them too."

Yes it was the most childish, pettiest thing she had heard probably since basic school, and yet Yuzu could not help but completely understand what he was talking about.

"…You want them to... notice your absence," she said. He didn't respond verbally, but he did silently agree with her. That's when she noticed the music store right across the park. When had it been the last time she had been in one? She remembered Masumi's offer and how it had never been much more mainly because of her. "Enough moping around, Sawatari. What type of music do you like?"

∞

"So… Let me get this right," stated Masumi, pinching the bridge of her nose. "You knew they would be leaving for a whole day and instead of, oh I don't know, reasoning with them you offered to cover up for them."

"To be fair, I only knew Yuzu was going. If I knew Sawatari was tagging along…" he would still have covered up for them; he was not a snitch. "I would… have …. thought better of it."

"Sure you would," said a very sour-faced Reiji next to her. The fact that she could _tell_ was evidence enough of his current mood.

"What was that? Did you seriously want me to tell on her? And even if I had, why do you care? Didn't you say so yourself? If Yuzu wanted you to know she would have told you, so obviously it's not something that affects _you_."

Now this was a sight: Reiji was throwing such a hard glare at Yuya, Masumi actually felt a chill down her back. The fact she was sitting between them didn't help one bit.

"You ….are such a child-" started Reiji.

"I'm sorry to interrupt your talk, but aren't your teams missing one person each?" said Glynda from below them in the arena.

"Um…you see, they're…" stumbled Gongenzaka, trying all too hard not to look nervous.

"They felt sick and stayed in their rooms for the day, Professor," answered Reiji, never missing a beat, even under Glynda's scrutiny, not even after she narrowed her eyes at him.

"Very well," she said, finally conceding and leaving them be.

But looking at Yuya and Reiji still glowing at each other, made Masumi wish the Professor would have chewed them out a little longer.

∞

"Never heard of this band before," muttered Yuzu, taking off the headphones after a while.

"They're an indie band from Mistral. You see the seal? It means they're self-recorded. Usually those bands get known through the kingdoms via social networks and the physical copies are brought by niche stores and fan clubs," he explained, looking for the newest single of Dust Kingdom. "I thought you said you liked music."

"I do, but I never got to hear lots of variety, especially not in the last year. I mostly listen to pop and show tunes. I dedicated myself completely to improving my resume for Beacon, so that's why I was so behind with the Rose storyline too... Not a lot of alternative let alone indie music gets to Patch."

"Why not give it a try then? Nothing relieves stress better than wicked guitar and battery solos," he said, finally getting through the albums one more time; no luck.

"Maybe…. Hey, look the art on this cover!" she exclaimed, showing him the drawing of a princess surrounded by roses and holding a rapier sword.

"Mechanical Fairies? Never heard of it," he said, choosing the archive and shuffling a random song for them to hear.

It started slow with a bit of piano in the background, and then the speakers blared with the guitar and a feminine voice echoing to it, along with several chord accompaniments:

_Something hiding, something burning in secret,_

_With the scent of dying dreams,_

_'Don't wander off into the garden' they told us._

The screen showed the name: _'Peach Garden'_ and then he looked at Yuzu, pausing it and immediately bringing the album to the counter to buy it with a glowing smile. The employee, a Faunus girl with lots of tattoos and piercings, eyed them and the album asking them,

"Hey, you guys like that type of music? Because there's gonna be a show this evening that you might be interested in," she told them, handing them a flyer, it was a

"Uh, it sounds awesome but we need to go back. Besides, I don't think we could pay the tickets for it, unless you take credit cards?" Yuzu asked, probably not really expecting an answer. This was a vintage shop; it had no bank terminals or ATMs.

"Actually, it's a free show. You just gotta show up and hand them this flyer, telling them that Violet from the Melodía shop sent you."

"Really? Is it like charity event or something?" he asked, reading the flyer, it had a colorful design and it was titled: ANNWN – which he wasn’t sure how to pronounce, or if it was a name or acronym – He wasn't familiar with the address but he had heard of the avenue. It was supposed to be a really hip place.

"Sort of," answered the Faunus girl, fidgeting a little. "It's more of a ...welcoming event."

"Oh because of the Festival then!" declared Yuzu.

"Yes, exactly! You gotta show some hospitality after all," she said, drumming her fingers on the counter.

Well, that settled it, he thought taking the piece of paper.

∞

"Are we really gonna fill the quota?" he asked to the hooded figure in the alley.

"Yes. They all looked like easy targets, so I tailed them for a while before inviting them. I lost a couple ones in the mall though; too many cameras to risk it."

"I hope so. We are way behind schedule, and we are short of resources too."

"Oh? Didn't you hear? We had a very generous ...donation made. In exchange for some grunts for a security task, I think."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dunno about you but there is something weirdly adorable about Yuzu and Sawatari taking "skipping school" so seriously when they are basically the RWBY equivalent of college students :P
> 
> Be prepared for the conclusion starting the next chapter.


	16. 15.- Moonstruck

They had long since moved her from that little room, leaving her with no marks to count or the waves to pass the time. One day, the rocking had stopped. She was knocked over and awoken in a different cell, bigger and cleaner, with slightly better food too.

She had almost lamented the loss of her loot until she noticed that the red cloth was still tied around her waist, still weighing down on it.

"Don't worry, little one, this is our last stop before heading for your new home," he told her. If only she knew where  _this_  was.

But he had left her in the …care of his grunts. Different ones this time, wearing expensive suits, hats and dark red sunglasses, as if the brand clothing could hide the rats behind it. They made crude comments about her appearance, her hair and her clothes, but there was one single silver sliver to them: they were messy.

Right now, they seemed delighted with some snacks and beers they managed to sneak from their immediate boss, 'for the long shift,' she heard them say.

No doubt they had been told about her health state and her regular doses. She couldn't see much more from the small window on the door, but then she heard some music, live music.

_"…A sea of despair, a closed door."_

She knew that song. She knew where they were! She ripped the red cloth from her person and gathered all the little batteries and shards. It was now or never.

∞

"Beat it _kids_ , this is a private meeting and you are most definitely not in the guest list," said a burly grunt at them.

"Do you have any idea who you're speaking too? I am the son of one of the most prominent council member and son to be ma-"

She had to cut him off at that. It had been such a nice day so far and Yuzu didn't feel like having it ruined by Sawatari's tantrums.

"I-we're sorry for the inconvenience but, we were given this flyer. If this is the wrong address, can you please point us to the right one?" she asked in the most demure voice she could muster.

It seemed to work and once the guard took a look at the colorful letters, a smile made its way to his face.

"Oh, you kids are coming to _that_ event? Your snotty friend should have said so." Yuzu hated the way he said kids and the sneer he gave when he insulted Sawatari again. His presence in general was just really unpleasant.

"Um, yeah we do, oh right Violet from the-"

"Melodia shop eh? You see the thing is you are at the right place and yes technically I'm obligated to let you in, but you kids are a little too early and outside events of this …magnitude, I can't let minors get into the bar."

"I don't think I follow…" she asked. It was just half an hour, surely they could just hang around in the dancing floor at least, right? Then she looked at Sawatari giving an exasperated sigh at her and stepped forward.

"This should be enough yes?" he said handing him a couple of liens, _black_ liens. Sometimes she really envied rich people.

"You wish. Double it and it's a deal, since you know the club doesn't have… child insurance," the guard said grinning.

Rather than yell again, Sawatari just pulled out his wallet and paid for both of them, and like that they were in.

"So much for a 'free' event," she said as an afterthought, remembering Sawatari's insistence of going to an ATM first.

"You really bought that? When people say something is free, it's because it really isn't free or because it sucks," he stated as if it was some universal truth.

Now she just felt stupid.

"Sorry. I kinda dragged you here, didn't I?" she said.

"Ugh, didn't I tell you already to get over yourself? This place is like the crème de la crème for city entertainment and I can't wait to rub it in Hokuto's face," he said with the most uptight voice she had heard from him in a while.

It still managed to draw a smile from her though and looking at the dancefloor and the rhythmic beat reached her ears. Really, for all the fanfare of the guard, she wasn't that interested in alcoholic drinks.

"Care for a dance?" she asked.

∞

"How is the crowd doing?" a dark skinned man asked to the guards.

"They are arriving already. I guess our clients really know how to promote themselves," said the grunt, hiding the cash he had made off the guests.

"Good, good. Can't have my club lowering its reputation for hosting a pitiful show, can I? Gallagher always knows when a good gig is made."

"Of course, sir."

Then from the backdoor there were a couple of distinctive knocks. Once Gallagher grunted his approval, he opened the door to let a tall man wearing a white coat and a bowler hat make his entrance, and watched as he deposited a black suitcase on top of his boss's desk.

Once his boss seemed content with whatever contents were inside, he shook hands with the newcomer.

"Unfortunately my employer and I are going to need you and your men to make themselves scarce starting ….now," said the red-headed man, casually lighting a cigar.

"Sure, sure. Who I am to question them? When my payment is in, it's no longer my business," said his boss with his arms up in fake surrender.

"Wise of you. What do they say? What differentiates men from animals?" asked the red-head, offering fire to the boss.

"Is good ol' money," responded Gallagher, gracefully accepting.

∞

"Still nothing?" he asked to Masumi.

"We have checked all the carts for the past two hours. They weren't in any of them and Yuzu is still not answering our calls. Hokuto is still there checking just in case," she answered while pacing around in the gardens.

"What about Sawatari?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"It says that the number is out of the service area. The fool has yet to register the new scroll!" said Yaiba.

He looked at the time: 6:00 PM. Sun would go down in less than two hours.

"…One hour. If we still can't reach them in an hour, we'll have to tell to the Professor about this."

"Or….here is a crazy idea. We could go searching for them and not have to get them in trouble," proposed Yuya, still perched atop the fountain statue.

At this point, Reiji no longer wasted time into wondering how many of his questionable ideas were serious. Most of the time the answer was yes, and much to his displeasure, he saw as the others seemed to agree better on this idea.

"It's not a practical plan. We could never cover enough ground. The Professors, on the other hand, can alert the authorities and then…" …Or maybe that wasn't such a bad idea? A hunch born from the talk with his mother still fresh on his mind told him that maybe, just maybe, the police weren't exactly trustworthy.

Just as Yuya, right on time, was about to get in his face to protest or maybe insult him, Gongenzaka stopped him.

"Reiji has a point though. How could we even begin to search? Have you been downtown lately? The crowds in the streets are crazy," he told him.

"Are you positive that the two of them took their scrolls with them?" asked Reiji to Yuya.

He seemed a bit taken aback by his sudden change of demeanor but nodded nonetheless.

"Allow me to get a toolkit, among other tools, and meet me at the library in five minutes," he instructed, hoping that his parents didn't change the security settings of his scroll.

∞

**"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!!!!"**

The booming voice seemed to belong to a man wearing a bear mask, which, while unusual, it was by far the less flashy staff of the club by far. Amongst the now numerous crowd, there were a bunch of garishly looking servers wearing obviously fake animal ears and tails with equally tacky make-up to go with. Some of them were even wearing feather headdresses and little wings.

Sawatari was not a sensitive one, but even he thought that whoever was the organizer needed to chill.

"A drink for the lady?" he heard a strangely modest server wearing a simple mask ask.

"Sure," said Yuzu, taking the colorful drink.

"And the gentleman?" he said, smiling that fake grin he was so used to see on service employees.

"Don't mind if I do," he responded, taking one as well.

**"…AND NOW WITHOUT FURTHER ADO, LET'S LIVEN UP THIS PLACE!!"**

Their sight was directed to a high stage, full of dressed up dancers, and razzle-dazzle lighting and smoke. From the middle, the most outlandish looking singer came out from it, wearing a period-like dress, stripped stockings, an obviously fake black and white wig that almost reached the floor, painted in white and shiny face paint that shone in the dark. In short, she looked like someone had taken the Faerie Queen and splashed her with equal amounts of glitter, neon and dark paint.

"Everyone is ready to have some fun?!!!" With a deceptively squeaky voice to boot, it seemed. Then a bell was heard on the speakers, making the mood, and she started to sing:

_"A sea of despair, a sealed door…."_

And Sawatari felt himself going weak at the knees and his chest beat like crazy. The voice felt like molten honey was verted on his very soul. It made him feel like falling into an abyss and landing in the softest cloud and when did he get so damn sappy?

_"…the sweet whispers of darkness."_

But who cared? As long as he could continue hearing that heavenly voice.

∞

_"…Hey mister wanna come play with me?"_

"How long until our shift ends?" asked a bored sounding voice?

"'Till midnight," responded the other one.

"That long? Jeez you'd think the boss is having us guard some bank vault of a chamber full of treasures instead of the little girlie there," the other one said in a mocking tone.

"What's so special about her anyway? I mean I'd get that some people have …peculiar tastes, but she ain't even that good-looking? Did you see that hair, and mane or whatever they call it?"

It made her stomach lurch in disgust at how those rats talked about her. They made her out to be a piece of meat, a property, a slave… but she had to swallow it for now.

"I know right? And I thought you couldn't go wrong with blondies."

After that, only a bunch of snickers and snorts were heard, then more music:

_"…Do you really think it's none of your business?"_

She stopped for a minute to admire her handiwork. The tip shone even in the dim light, but it still lacked sharpness, but that was secondary for now one slip, one grade above the necessary temperature and the bits of Dust in the center would explode in her face.

_'Only a little more,_ ' she thought, rubbing her palms together.

∞

"Ok, what are we watching right now?" asked Hokuto with a puzzled look.

Masumi wished she could answer. _'I'm trying to localize their positions through the scrolls,'_ Reiji had said, which was his way of saying he was doing some hacking. For such a dramatic announcement, it had been nothing like the movies. There were no rapidly passing screens of number codes or fast typing on Reiji's part. It had been mostly screen after screen of waiting for clearance and …yeah more waiting.

"Is this even… legal?" asked Yaiba in a whisper, as if they were in collusion or something.

"This is the database of the Leo Corporation. It holds the record of every scroll in function in real time …" he said dodging the question but Masumi let it go. There were more pressing matters to attend to. "As you may imagine, that gives us millions of results so I need to distillate the results. Yuya, Gongenzaka, lend me your scrolls ….Masumi yours too. Actually, the more the better. If there's been communication to either Yuzu or Sawatari, you can help."

As they all handed their scrolls, and as he connected them one by one, pulling more data on the screen, Yaiba was the one asking her main concern:

"We told you Sawatari got his busted in the Forest, and …" he started but quieted down with a hand gesture from Reiji.

"I did hear you, I was there after all, but …registering a scroll is more of a formality than any actual security measure, at least for people who know what and where to look for. If you own a scroll and you used it, then Leo Corps has a record of at least some of your positions."

That was …somewhat reassuring for their current needs, but still really unsettling in perspective.

_'How …unusual,'_ Reiji thought. No matter how much he tried to track the residual sign, it just kept on disappearing. However, it remained long enough to notice the other steady sign that never got too far.

And right now, it had stayed in the same place for almost an hour.

"I got what we need," he announced, disconnecting and carefully erasing his traces.

"Great, so what now?" asked Gongenzaka.

"I thought I told you: we're going to the professors."

∞

_"They were so close, but now they will dream,_

_Forever lost in Fairyland"_

And such an enchanted land it was! If there was anything close to such a dreamy land, it had to be this one. Everything was so colorful, and pretty; Yuzu never wanted to leave. Just the thought of returning to her boring everyday life was unbearable.

As yet another song died down, they were barely given time to calm down – and it really looked like some people needed to come down from the high – when the beat of another started, only this time the musicians were now throwing glow sticks to the crowd. She shook her arms and was lucky enough to catch a pink one.

_"Legends, life, people's destinies…"_

She watched as a red one hit Sawatari on the forehead, making absolutely no move to pick it up or even complain about it.

Following his line of sight, she was met with the singer on the stage and felt a giggle form at her face. 'Looks like someone is besotted,' she thought when she noticed his embellished expression.

And right behind him, Yuzu forced her eyes to focus as she witnessed an …odd scene.

A group of girls, younger than them even, were being escorted by two of the disguised servers to a backdoor. It wasn't the act itself that struck her as plain wrong; it was their faces. The servers' eyes were glinting almost maniacally and the girls …. They had the same face Sawatari was sporting right now.

_"Just accept that it's your fate…"_

Something…something was lifted from her eyes at the realization. The music was too loud. The bright colors were hurting her eyes and making her dizzy. The body heat from so many people was suffocating. The predatory gazes of the staff made her feel goosebumps down her spine. She was getting nauseous and almost stumbled on the floor, until she saw another couple being taken, and another …and Sawatari next to her was still caught in the daze.

_"…And in this non-fictional tragedy you will be the queen"_

They needed to get out of here.

∞

_"Those small and pitiful lives…"_

"Hasn't the girlie been too quiet for a while?" asked one of the grunts.

"So? I for one am thankful for a peaceful job. You'd think people would get tired of screaming and punching, but no," he said, shuffling his cards again. "Besides, it's not time for her meal yet. She's probably passed out of her mind, remember?" his companion added.

That seemed like a sound reason. So why couldn't he shake this uneasiness?

***thud**thud**thud*…**

"Tch, I knew it was too good to be true. Go check what that was, and take the gun just in case."

He did as he was told, and opened the heavy door to find her just as they expected: crouched on the corner, like a scaredy-cat. Nothing to worry about here; it was probably just an external sound. Even if she did get out, the whole place was armored. If things got difficult they had the boss on direct line…

…Then his feet stepped on something, a small thing, probably a pebble, that shouldn't have caught his attention. That is, if it wasn't for the faint metallic glint it gave in the dark room, or the red embers and burnt marks in the floor the type that only Fire Dust left…

_"You cry, whine, and wail before asking why…"_

He reacted too late to the sparks he spotted from the corner of his eyes, and then the next thing he felt was a sharp burning pain go from his back and spread all over his body. Before he could make sense of what happened, he collapsed on the floor and saw the glint of a crystalline knife, disheveled golden locks and furious glinting magenta eyes.

_"…And why should I care? This is your trial…_

_Welcome to horrible, pitiful, fictional, reality"_

∞

Having your face sunk into water was one of the most unpleasant experiences of his life, and this was coming from someone who had to endure being beaten up on semi-daily basis all down from LDS to Beacon Academy. When he was pulled from his hair and he inhaled the sweet oxygen, he faced Yuzu with a wrathful gaze.

"Good God! Care to tell me why you are trying to drown me?!" he demanded, feeling offended and annoyed. Before he could complain further, he felt Yuzu covering his mouth her hand.

"I swear I had a good reason, but before I explain, you need to promise to not yell again, deal?" she asked, barely above a whisper while checking the bathroom door every two seconds.

The pure panic written all over her face almost made his anger fade away; almost.

"You have one minute," he remarked with a bite in his tone, which she actually seemed relieved to hear for some reason.

"I'll take it," she answered, but rather than explain herself, she pulled out her scroll, quickly typing something and showed it to him.

"WE HAVE TO LEAVE. IT'S NOT SAFE HERE. I'M NOT EVEN SURE IF WE ARE SAFE **IN HERE** , BUT THE SOONER THE BETTER. THEN WE CAN CONTACT THE PROFESSORS OR THE POLICE…"

He stopped reading, looking at her with his best 'Are you crazy?' look. "What are you even-" but that got him a painful pull on his ears, and she tapped on her scroll right over the words 'safe'.

'You got to be kidding me,' but he still got out his useless excuse of a scroll and taped something quick about if the stress had finally got to her head and drove her mad. Rather than getting another retaliation, she got an antsy look on her face.

"LOOK I…CAN'T PROVE ANYTHING, BUT DO ME A FAVOR AND ASK YOURSELF THIS: WHAT IS THE LAST THING YOU REMEMBER AFTER THE MUSIC STARTED?"

_"...Shaky, wavering. What you're looking for is nowhere to be found"_

Pfft, what didn't he remember? He remembered the sweet voice on his ears, his heart skipping a beat, the beautiful song about… no wait that's not important. He remembered the servers filling his drink a couple of times during, or before? Or did he drink anything? Heavens! Was he drunk or something? He didn't remember anything! It wasn't a blank like many people or books say it feels like. It was a messy and colorful splotch of colors, music and lights that consumed his senses and registered only those. Heck, he didn't even remember Yuzu dragging him in here. His memories jumped at the moment she submerged him in water.

It wasn't funny either. Just the thought of him happily slipping into a daydream and loosing days at the time - possibly if Yuzu hadn't woke him up from it – was scarier than anything.

"DID THEY SPIKE OUR DRINKS?"

"DON'T THINK SO. I DIDN'T DRINK MINE AND I WAS CAUGHT IN IT TOO. I THINK…IT'S THE MUSIC, IT ALL STARTED WITH IT RIGHT?"

Well, that was just another way to say they were at an impasse, they were stuck in a bathroom with no windows, and if they got their weapons out, they would go all gaga again the moment the music reached them, his scroll still didn't work, and…

She was calling someone right now.

_"The next battle is waiting for me"_

"Come on pickup, pickup," she begged over and over into the air. For a short beautiful moment the call seemed to go through, but then a weird ugly buzz was heard and then the automatic voice.

"YOU ARE CURRENTLY OUTSIDE OF SERVICE RANGE. PLEASE-"

"…This is a joke right?" Sawatari whispered, and somehow Yuzu could tell that he wanted nothing more than to sink to the floor and weep. The worst thing? He wouldn't be alone in it.

***BANG***

Yuzu hadn't even noticed that the music had died down, probably for a while now. Behind the group that had forcefully opened the door, they were greeted with an empty dancefloor, with a couple of regular bar employees and the DJ from before. The crowd, the stage, the eccentric looking servers and the singer may as well never have been there.

The people that had the door busted open were a bunch of uniformed, masked people. A tall man in the middle – obviously the boss – held a cane and exhaled smoke from his cigar. One of the masked men spoke.

"This is where the sign came from, sir," informed the closest one to them. Yuzu felt herself tighten all over, and still clutching the scroll that the man was now staring at.

"Well, what do we have here? A couple of little spies, mmmh? A little young if you ask me, but who am I to judge?" He laughed through a cruel mocking smile and then snapped his fingers.

"Grab 'em."

∞

"You kids know that when the elevator doesn't open, it's because the Headmaster isn't in there, right?" questioned Crow to a bunch of students who seemed to be a little too edgy and eager to talk to a professor for a Friday night.

"Professor Hogan, we need help," said one of them. He recognized him; it was one of the few students taking his course, the Akaba heir. What was his name?

Before he could even answer, they were all over him, all of them talking over each other. However, the moment he could catch the words 'friends' 'danger' 'missing' and 'city,' he realized that this was more than just an ask for help.

He held up his hand, and pointed at the only girl in the group to explain. He must have seen her around school because her face was oddly familiar, but her name escaped him. Once she explained everything, with the occasional comments from the others, he had to force himself to not freak out. He had a possible crisis on his hands: two missing students, their six antsy teammates and Glyn and Ozpin were …busy, and wouldn't be back for hours.

Then the tension was broken by a scroll tune, some ridiculously upbeat song that had them all jump including the girl it belonged to, apparently long enough for her to miss the call.

"…It was Yuzu, I missed it but there's a voice mail"  She looked relieved beyond measure along with her friends. The relief was short-lived when she opened the voice mail, revealing a mere six seconds long message.

_"Come on pickup, please pickup-"_

For an eerie moment, no one said a word. They just stood there, processing the message, letting the last sliver of hope that this had been a huge and stupid misunderstanding die out. Alternatively, Crow's mind was in a rush. He cursed in his mind a plethora of swear words. His mind replayed the message over and over, but he focused more on the pure fear and panic that the voice of Yuzu Hiragi imprinted in those few seconds. Of all people, why her?

"Ok, the lot of you get into the carts and meet me at the police station ASAP. I'm taking a shortcut," he finally said, lamenting that he couldn't get all of them onto his bike.

"If that's the case, we actually have an idea where to look for," said again the Akaba boy, showing him a printed map with a position marked in the middle.

"Where did you get this?" he asked, and almost missed the shift of his eyes before he quickly (way too quickly) composed himself.

"That… is not important right now, is it?" said the short red-haired boy.

"Touché, but we're getting back to that once we solve this," he said in a warning and taking the map.

∞

_"Now is the time, hold up your trump card!"_

She all but gulped down all the snacks she could get her hands on. She couldn't remember when it was the last time she had had a decent meal, one that was indulgent and pleasant, instead of the watered down rations necessary to survive.

The beer cans were left alone though. She briefly, very briefly, considered chugging them down too. She was so thirsty, but discarded the idea almost immediately. For one, she was more than sick of having her senses dulled down for weeks, months on end, and two she would need all her senses to be acute and alert for when the backup arrived.

_"Write a new chapter in this story…"_

On the metallic floor laid down her 'guards,' all of them passed out from either pain or Aura exhaustion. She didn't care in the slightest which it was. She gripped the knife on her waist. What little remnants of Dust she had gotten were used already and once the food worked its magic, allowing her Aura to fully hone her senses again, there would be no need for it anymore, but there was one person she particularly wanted to try it on.

She sunk her teeth a little too harshly at the memory of that bastard's mop of orange hair.

_"…After all, aren't you the hero?"_

The music finally died down, which meant she wouldn't wait for too long.

∞

Once they finally arrived at the police station, Reiji saw Yuya all but disappear in a smudge to see him appear at the entrance, where they could see Crow's bike parked. Then there was a bunch of panicked, false alarms shouted from inside the building and once they made it inside they heard Crow's booming voice before actually seeing him.

"You can't sneak into a police station like that! You little brat!" they all heard.

Once they were into view, Crow had Yuya grabbed by the collar of his shirt while he tried to calm the people in the office down.

"Professor, we're here," announced Gongenzaka.

That snapped everyone's attention to them and seemed to make everyone go back to their tasks.

"You kids can't be in here," argued one of the officers.

"They're with me, and the ones who brought it to attention, so you may tell them exactly what you were telling me before they arrived," countered Crow in the no-nonsense voice he usually used for class.

"Fine, as I was telling your Professor," the officer began, giving Crow a nasty once-over, "we can't go storming around without a warrant, without a probable cause. You also need to fill out forms and wait at least twenty-four hours before we can consider a person missing and start an investigation," she finished.

"But we have proof that they are in trouble. This voice mail…" started Masumi, but the lady officer held up her hand.

"Mr. Hogan already filled us on it as well, but I'm afraid that's not enough for probable cause. It could have been a glitch or a misdial for all we know," she countered with the most uninterested voice ever.

"Very well. I'm sorry for the inconvenience," said Crow, signaling for all of them to go out, adding a warning look when he undoubtedly caught sight of their protesting faces.

Well that had been a…enlightening experience, thought Reiji, following the professor to his bike. And his …friends seemed to have had any illusions they ever had of the Vale's police force squashed before it even began to build. It was a feeling he could relate to.

"What was the point of that? All we did was waste time and Yuzu is still out there and-" Yuya started, but was silenced by Gongenzaka's hand on his shoulder.

"Thank you. Look, I understand how frustrating that was, believe me I do, but I think we can take this as a learning experience. I want you for one minute to forget about your current plea and tell me, what was amiss from that station?" he asked, looking over at each one.

"They were too calm…not too nonchalant," commented Gongenzaka.

"There were too few actual officers in there," contributed Hokuto after a minute of thinking.

"They didn't ask for our names, or ID's, or anything," supplied Yaiba.

"All that they told us…looked rehearsed as if…" said Yuya after a while.

"Yes?" pressed Crow.

"As if they told the exact same thing to lots of people?" he attempted.

"They were eager to get rid of us," finished Masumi.

And it was just as Reiji feared; they must be swamped down on disappearance cases, and trying to divert people's attention from it.

"Excellent. Now I can't share any details with you, but I have good sources who tell me that Vale PD is a little too busy with other high profile cases to worry about our problem. Luckily for you, in for the duration of the Vytal Festival and its preparations, Ozpin's authority overrules _them_ , and in an unofficial way in his absence, I speak for him," he finished, his eyes glinting and a huge grin on his face.

"So, does this mean…" attempted Yuya as they saw Crow pull up the map again and point at the marked locations.

"Let's just say I'm familiar with this place," he said in a pensive tone, and pointing to the northeast part of the city.

But neither Reiji nor the others had time to digest or brighten up by the news as a rumble made them stumble a little. A mushroom smoke shape was seen and mere seconds after an explosion of colors – fireworks – was seen in the sky, seemingly coming from the piers, right from the opposite direction Crow had pointed.

"Or…maybe we need a plan B?" he suggested after a little while.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Annyversary for this fic, this day a year ago I posted the prologue and I actually stuck to the story! As promised this is the first chapter of the vol. conclusion.
> 
> PS: I almost called this chapter Spirited Away, but that was too telling :P


	17. 16.- Heat Haze Night

The moment the communications with them was lost, he knew something was wrong. But they had all the manpower concentrated on the event, and he had to wait. That dirty mouse wouldn't go far anyway, malnourished and drugged. Even if she managed to get out of the warehouse, she would probably pass out afterwards.

Then he had to deal with a couple of strangely alert teens who may or may not have given away their location, forcing him to relocate the new cargo. Yet another pebble on the road to checking the _other_ cargo sitting on the pier.

That's why the moment one of the animals stepped in his presence, he schooled his exasperation and nodded his permission to talk:

"There was an explosion on the piers. Apparently there was some cargo of…powder and fireworks for the Festival and…"

"…Now the police are on the way," he finished, gritting his teeth. This was not a part of the plan, _at all._

But for the sake of not losing control of the animals put in his command, he had to pretend.

∞

As the police cars passed one after another by their side of the road, Masumi was trying, over and over, to tell herself that everything would be fine. The section of the map was too far away from the piers to have anything to do with the explosions. There was no way Yuzu and Sawatari were there…right?

"Are we seriously gonna do this?" asked Hokuto, looking at the still exploding fireworks in the distance. "Isn't that dangerous?"

If this wasn't such a serious situation, Masumi would have directed him her most acerbic glare, but as it was, the Professor seemed to be in his element and spoke up,

"We're gonna split. One group goes to the piers. You can go unnoticed with all the units going that way and despite what the office staff may look like, you can always count on the help of the field officers. The other group comes with me to the club. I'm familiar with the neighborhood. It doesn't have the best reputation and I can't let you go alone to whatever happened there."

Now the question posed by him was: Which way you wanna go?

∞

There was a sickening crunch-like sound when she twisted his arm on his back, but she pressed on and had him on his knees in no time, holding her knife to his throat.

"Please…don't," he begged, tears staining her hand.

"Then give me the pass code."

"I …don't have it! I swear! I was escorted here by someone else. This was only supposed to be a one-time job! I didn't even know _you_ were what we were guarding!" he yelled.

Made sense. When they broke into the tiny room her personal guards shared (in a manner) with her, these so-called security guards had only stared at her and asked her what was she doing there and if she was alright. That is, until they saw the others lying on the ground, still unconscious.

They hadn't been carrying any weapons on them, just some taser guns. They had been easy to handle, and he looked so …young and scared. Feeling her gut clench at the thought of killing this one, she settled for knocking him out.

When he hit the ground, she let herself calm down a little bit and searched for weapons, bullets, keys, anything that may help her break her way out of here. She only found a scroll, still functional. She glanced at it, only to look at the date and time.

…Three months. He had her rotting in a cage for almost three whole months. She swallowed the bitter taste in her mouth at the news.

She heard even more steps outside the warehouse, boat, whatever this place was supposed to be and felt herself fire up again. She didn't bother to filter it down this time. If they wanted to subjugate her again, she would take out as many as she could first.

For a few terrifying seconds, nothing actually happened. And then a spark occurred, and then another one. As she felt the first sliver of true control she'd had since forever, she only saw red and everything around her was engulfed into a blue hot flame, consuming the metal structure as if it was made of wood, and chunks flew all around.

She was vaguely aware of the screams and the charred flesh smell but only one thought kept on consuming her. _'Burn!'_ over and over until her fire clashed with another not sired by her. There was smoke, ashes and embers in the air, but also colors; lots of them.

And then everything went black.

∞

_'This could be worse,'_ Sawatari thought, although what could be worse currently escaped his mind. He supposed they could have been spirited away along with the crowd; they could have gotten a beat down, or worse been …dealt with. At the very least he was still grateful not having been thrown into a small, dingy and dark cell.

No, right now, they had been …deposited into a sort of green room. It was nothing fancy, but it was ample and well-lit.

There were two masked guards behind them, and in front of them sat Roman Torchwick in person. The very same Torchwick he had seen countless of times in the news since he'd entered combat school.

For the life of him, the only thought coming to his head involved thinking that he looked much younger, polished and attractive than police profile pictures showed him like. Then again, he wasn't sporting a bloody nose or a black eye at the moment.

Between them a coffee table sat with their scrolls and weapons on display, tantalizing them, he obviously wanted to tease them, so close and yet so far, he wanted the powerlessness to creep into their very bones and sprout.

Ugh, he must still be slightly under the rave influence, otherwise he would never be so optimistic or this cheesy.

"I'll have to apologize about the security measures, but I'm afraid you can never be too cautious," said the man that sat in front of them.

Both he and Yuzu were handcuffed, tied to chairs and even their feet were secured to the base of them. He surely had a funny idea of what 'security measures' meant considering he felt it necessary to use such security measures on a couple of kids – it hurt to admit, but the presence of this man made him so small and insignificant – when he had at least a dozen of men at his disposal that just earlier had them immobilized in matter of seconds and he himself wasn't someone to take lightly, if the way the cigar burned without a lighter was any indication.

"Now, what to do with you? Usually I'm not this considerate with nuances like you, but you caught me at a bad time. This particular job requires us to keep a low profile, and a couple of snoopy _Beacon_ kids disappearing like that will definitely bring attention to what we're doing here, and we don't want that, do we?" he said in a falsely pensive tone.

Next to him, Yuzu was only glaring at the man defiantly, never taking her eyes of him as if she was daring him, as if they weren't completely helpless right now. Part of him envied her boldness. The other part wanted to scream at her for being so foolish. After all, for all he knew, she wasn't even aware who the person was that held them hostage.

"We…we won't tell anyone. Just let us go please," he found himself saying. Torchwick didn't even blink at the request. He just gave them a lazy once over, like he had dealt with this same situation one times too many to care.

"I wish I could believe you. However, I don't trust politicians, or their progeny." This was the first time Sawatari hated being recognized. "But where are my manners? Let's bring them something to drink," he ordered the two guards behind them.

Sawatari really hated his life right now.

∞

"Very well. I hope you put serious thought into your decision," Crow said as he motioned at her and Hokuto to climb on his bike, after adjusting the sit allowing for more space, Gongenzaka had claimed that he could follow their steps using his semblance. With the other group, Reiji, Yuya and Yaiba imputed the professor's scroll information in case of an emergency.

Masumi and Reiji had thought long and carefully about this set up.

When she declared that she was going with Crow, Reiji has immediately declared he would go to the piers and proposed the party splitting layout, that both teams needed to have offense, defense, and distance covered in case of being surrounded. After thinking it over, she heeded and stopped Hokuto's complaining before they left his mouth.

Now on the road gripping each other tightly, Masumi couldn't help the dread that filled her the more they neared the location. The less the frequent the public lighting got and the less people there were on the streets, the buildings looked smaller and less cared after.

She had never in her life been to this part of the city. Masumi had lived her whole life in Vale, but only now she realized how little she truly knew about it.

∞

Yaiba had spent the better part of the semester watching Yuya and Reiji trade stupid, little blows at each other, having been amused and puzzled on equal parts at their determination in keeping up at it. Personally, he would have tired of it in a week, tops.

Which is why the sight of them jumping from building to building, trying to follow the patrols with no ill will or hostility from either of them, was to date the most puzzling sight of them all. Heck, Yuya hadn't even reacted to being stuck with them, not even if it meant being separated from Gongenzaka.

He could only figure that there was just one person occupying their thoughts, the same way he had one person of his own doing the same reckless thing. A stupid, clueless idiot, and annoying as heck, but a friend nonetheless.

"At this rate, we're gonna miss them," he said a little out of breath, but continued jumping. "Let me take care of this."

They just nodded as they positioned themselves behind him.

And then he let a trail of acceleration glyphs with every step, the lights of the city and the buildings now just a jumble of colors and sounds.

∞

Yuzu didn't want to take her eyes off this man – she thought she saw him in the news, but wasn't sure – even in his deceptively lounged position on the couch. She noticed that like the guards, his whole body was taut and ready to spring into action if he detected any attempt at an escape.

Once one of the guards brought a wine bottle – of course it had to be an alcoholic drink – and the other a couple of glasses, it was their captor himself who brought himself to serve them.

When the two glasses of blue wine were filled in front of them, she couldn't help the thirsty gulp her throat gave. Her mouth felt dry and it was the first time Yuzu saw such a luxury drink outside of the movies. It didn't help that it had a sweet strong smell of blueberries and something else she couldn't pin down… peaches?

It took effort grabbing the glasses with their hands handcuffed, but they managed not to spill. Still, neither she nor Sawatari made any motion to drink it.

"And? Are you going to leave me hanging? I would have assumed a politician's son would like the good stuff," he said this to Sawatari, leaning in his direction with a sneer, gleefully ignoring her.

"I-I do, but you see…"

As Sawatari babbled in an attempt to earn time, no doubt, she noticed a heavy stare. It was the two guards now standing behind their captor, but who for now had apparently deemed her friend unworthy of vigilance and had locked his eyes on her person. She stole a glance at them, and even with the mask covering most of their faces, noticed that they couldn't be much older than them. Despite their muscular bodies, they were lean and more on the wiry side of the chart, like boys who still had room to grow.

Their mask stopped her from picking anything else from their appearance, it was fashioned after the plates of the Grimms, Even she, the rural uncultured girl Sawatari often accused her of being, knew about them: The White Fang.

Through the tiny mask's eye socket, she caught a glint of golden eyes of the one with the heavier stare, the tall one, while the other one – who had little and furry black ears sticking out from the mask-helmet – seemed more worried with their drinks as he kept on looking at her glass and then at her.

It was a little disconcerting, until she noticed his hands pointing discretely at the bottle too and then at their captor. He then shook his head and it clicked: _'don't drink it.'_  Were they spiked? Poisoned?

"And your little girlfriend? Since you seem so talkative, tell me about her," he heard his baritone voice finally acknowledge her.

"Oh! She's not, that's not-" started Sawatari, starting to sweat even more.

"That's _none_ of your business," she said with spite and punctuating each word. Yuzu took a small pleasure in noticing the grimace that ghosted over his features for no more than two seconds before going back to his affable front.

"Oh well! Pinkie here is feisty, isn't she?" he said, leaning over the table and fixating his eyes on hers. He lowered his eyes to the glass she was still holding and added, "…and with no manners it seems."

Taking the hint, she as slowly as possible brought the wine to her lips and slurped all of it. It was just as sweet and delicious as she suspected it.

"Now that wasn't so bad, eh? Attag-RRRGHH!" he quickly got off his seat and looked down at his expensive-looking clothes now stained with blue blotches that trailed down from his chin, where she spat her wine.

Sawatari looked at her as if she lost her mind; probably too scared to say anything.

Then she felt a pull and was met with a very angry face mere inches from her own. She tried not to wince, but he was grabbing tightly on her pigtail and sinking his nails in her scalp.

"You little brat! You really think I can't do you over!? You think I care about his idiotic father or your little life? I could dump your body in an alley for all the trouble you've caused me you worthless little slime," he hissed.

"Maybe… but you're wary of us. Of Beacon …You fear the Headmaster. So much so that you thought- you still think we're spying for him. As if _he_ would stoop that low," she spat at him. She fixed her eyes on the two guards behind him and then on him, and then felt a sudden pain as he grabbed her hair even harsher. He ripped her barrette and pulled off several strands of hair from her, maybe even a full lock as she felt her head pulsating a little.

She must have looked ridiculous in his eyes, now with her half-down hair. He cackled a little at the sight, but then he got closer to her face again.

He was zeroing in on her now, then for a moment he looked at her with … puzzlement? Wonder? She felt goosebumps as she felt his hand grab her chin to apparently get a better look, then something else passed over his eyes; realization?

"Something …something is off. Who are you?" he asked, gripping tightly at her barrette. When she refused to answer, his mouth twisted into a scowl. "Well it doesn't matter. Just because it's not wise to kill you, doesn't mean I can't have a little fun with you …" he said and she felt something poke at her side. It was his cane, which, with a little effort, she could tell it smelled like Dust and powder. And then he seemed to change his mind and pointed it at Sawatari. "… Or with your friend."

At this she felt her chest race and her stomach drop. She only ever made things worse, didn't she?

∞

Gongenzaka jumped from the building right in the middle of a nearby alley, careful not to make unnecessary noise, and he watched the professor's bike parking right in front of him.

"We're here," he said, taking off his helmet.

"…But this is a club," said Hokuto, a little long-winded but eyeing up the colorful light coming from the high windows and the faint electronic music filling the air.

"Indeed it is," said Crow, seemingly not deeming worthy of an explanation.

" _'The Underground'_? I think… I've heard of this place," said Masumi. "None of them good things though…"

"So are we just going to barge in?" asked Hokuto.

"Nope, Miss…?" started Crow.

"Koutsu, Masumi Koutsu," she said. Just for a second, Gongenzaka watched as the professor stopped seemingly in consideration.

"Ok, Masumi," he looked at her presumably to check if he could call her that, to which she just nodded. "This is your chance to show off your team leading skills."

Her eyes widened at the proposal, but she composed herself quickly and looked at him.

"Gongenzaka, did you observe anything worth noticing before we arrived?" she asked.

"Indeed I did. The actual club seems to be below ground level, and the upper floors are either empty or have blocked windows," he reported. "There is only one entrance available. All the others are blocked and not many people are here so far, but I noticed the bouncer is armed," he said, signaling at the broad, tall man in the entrance.

"Please let me handle the bouncer, leader. Let's just say that the owner is an old acquaintance," said Crow with a grin.

"…Um ok, Hokuto how has the continence training been going?" she asked.

"So far is good, but…" he seemed to struggle with this admission, "in such an enclosed space… If there are costumers in there, it would be better if I stuck to my weapon."

"Very well, now this is the plan."

∞

"Seems like the fire has yet to be put down," he heard Reiji comment.

Yuya swallowed a smartass backtalk about him being so observant, since they were looking at it right now, but there were far more important things to care about; namely Yuzu.

"I don't get it. How is it possible to make a fire this big to break the security containers of the likes for powder shipment?" asked Yaiba in return.

"That is what I would like to know…" Oh, so that's why it was important. Still…

"Can we go back to the matter at hand? We need to see if Yuzu or Sawatari are here or not," he asked them.

"…Fair enough," said Reiji after a moment and they split.

As they scouted the piers looking for anything off, Yuya noticed that there were a surprisingly low number of patrols and officers considering the emergency. That's when he saw them. Lithe and quick shadows all scurrying in between the containers covered in shadows. He would hug Reiji if that wasn't suspicious.

So he followed them, or at least to one of them. They all seemed to have a pattern, but what that pattern was it escaped him. They went from container to container, stopped for a few minutes and continued on their way. It looked as if… as if…

They were looking for something.

Ever so curious, Yuya continued to keep up with them. They were fast and moved surprisingly well in the dark, while he could barely make up their forms.

Then they all reunited in one of the warehouse, and he counted them. One, two, three … seven of them in total, no scratch that, eight, and he was carrying something over his back.

No it wasn't something; it was a someone.

∞

Pinkie now had blood trailing down her nose, and a black eye and the talkative fool didn't seem worse for wear, but he was sure he had heard a crack when he used his cane to hit his chest, so who knows. He felt so elated to land a kick on that flippant brat; he almost forgot he had far more pressing matters to attend.

So when the door knocked with Gallagher's men requesting his presence, he had to take a moment to compose himself.

"What is it?" he demanded, a little short of breath.

"There is a man at the door, requesting an audience with the boss." He heard them say.

"Well, I don't know what you want from me. Gallagher isn't here," he said rubbing his eyes.

"It's just they are very… insistent, and … well I think it's better if you deal with them, sir." His eyes narrowed at the mention of _'they'_.

"Fine, take me to them." Then, without turning his back, he told the animal guards. "Keep an eye on our …guests," he ordered, not waiting for their response before slamming the door behind him.

In the hallway, he felt a little mindful of the blue stains on his coat. When he went to the bar where the guest had been waiting, he let it go. It was yet another set of brats and a Faunus, an avian one at that – and a rare sight in Vale – that right now brought nothing but bitterness to his mouth.

"So, to what do I own the pleasure?" he asked not motioning to take a seat. He wanted to get this over with as soon as possible. He didn't even bother to spare a look at his company.

"Oh, I'm sorry I hope I didn't interrupt anything? I don't think we've met…" He didn't acknowledge the tacit request. "Crow Hogan, and there are my …friends," he said, signaling to the kids behind him. He had to stifle a snort at the thought.

"Spare me the introductions, for I'm busy. I just came down to tell you that Gallagher is not around, and at the moment I'm in charge of the place," he said, raising his hand.

"Yes, I can see why you are so …busy," he said, and before Roman could realize what he was doing, he saw how in a blink the Faunus' hand tapped his arm for just a second, and now had a strand of pink hair in it, smirking.

This is why he hated Faunus. Little scurry rascals, the lot of them.

"What I am busy with is none of your business," he started. "If you want to leave a message for the owner, feel free to do so, but I can't guarantee he will get it."

"Ah yes, how kind of you," he said pulling out his scroll. "You see the thing is we are looking for something. It's priceless, you see; one of a kind. We can't afford to lose it, and who better to ask but the person who always knows what's happening in the city?"

His interest was mildly picked but something about the tone he was using made his mental alarms blare.

_"Let's start! From a moment's glint of light…"_

The ridiculous song came from behind him, and when he turned he noticed the dark-skinned girl from before holding a gun on one hand and the blaring scroll in the other, ‘When had she…?’ but when he looked behind the Faunus again, he noticed the space empty as if they’d never been in that spot.

"You see there is a funny thing I learned from a friend," said another booming voice from behind the girl. Another of the brats, despite his height the boyish face gave away his age "Signal blockers only do so with outside calls," he said, his voice now sounding from behind him as well…holding a familiar set of weapons in his hands.

"Where are they?" said the remaining brat, pointing an axe at him.

Well, if they didn't find them in the room next to their stuff, he truly didn't know either, before he could ponder on the thought he had to deflect a slash from the brat who to his amusement didn’t have enough height to hit at his neck.

Roman had his fist crash into his face and his Melodic Cudgel pointing at his face in no time.

But before he could relish on it he felt himself being thrown over, and watched at the Faunus holding a canon over his shoulder.

“You guys go scour the place, let me take care of the trash” he heard him say.

Then Roman watched how the canon morphed into a halberd which blade was now aiming at him.

_‘A hunter’_ he thought.

∞

This was quickly shaping to be the worse day in Tito's life. He had been late to work, his scroll was stolen, again, his radio had not stopped sounding the entire day, mostly to break fights, he lost the promotion to a full-time detective and on top of everything both his paycheck and his settlement would be late this month.

Life had been going downhill since he quit from LDS.

He hadn't wanted to; it was a good job, nice pay and benefits, and a nice enough work environment, but as more and more of his coworkers started getting death threats and had their homes and cars vandalized, and some of them had even been assaulted late at night, the dangers of it had quickly started to outweigh said benefits.

The final straw had been hearing about Marco's disappearance.

Unfortunately, there weren't many job prospects for a combat teacher outside the military, and he had ended up serving under the police department. Not a bad job, but just that: not bad.

"CALLING ALL UNITS! REPORT TO THE BLUE DISTRICT! WE HAVE AN ALTERCATION WITH THE WHITE FANG."

He felt a shiver at the last sentence. He had no choice but to report. First the explosions in the piers, and now this?

Something or someone just seemed committed to let hell break loose tonight.

∞

She awoke to the sounds of a brawl.

When her eyelids finally opened, she almost thought she may be dreaming again. There in the middle of …wherever this was, there was a group of White Fang members fighting against someone; just one person against at least six, as far as she could tell.

The trick was, of course, that he was moving like a freaking lightning or maybe a humming bird. The fact that he faintly glowed in different colors in the dark certainly helped the comparison.

When a shot of energy passed right next to her, her senses fully awakened. She noticed a gun right at her feet, which she was quick to snatch under her clothing.

She noticed a second aide had begun to fight along with the really-quick-on-his feet boy, and if it had been hard to keep up with the fight before, now it was simply impossible. Every once in a while she saw a shiny glyph in the middle of it, or more shots and the figure of the boy still glowing.

She heard movement behind her and pulled out the gun to find the face of another boy around her age, this one wearing glasses that glinted eerily in the dark. He also now had a knife pulled out right next to her temple.

He seemed to doubt a little at seeing her and she took her chance to pull the gun to his chest, the boy didn’t even flinch for all the good it did, then he seemed to try to focus his sight and gave her a once-over.

"You're not her," he said in a matter of fact tone, but still didn't lower his weapon.

∞

Yuzu could feel her head pulsating and the iron smell of her own blood is making her sick to the stomach, she thinks she may have bitten her tongue in her effort for not to yell because she swears she can taste it too.

"Let's move," she heard someone say as soon as they were left alone.

At first she wasn't completely sure who said it, only that she – well more like the chair she was still strapped on – was being lifted and put into place again, by on the White Fang guards no less. But what really surprised her was that they were removing her ties.

"And him too," she mumbled, trying to point to Sawatari still seething in pain on the floor. The guard pursed his lips but made a gesture to the other one to free him as well.

Both guards opened the door and look around before pulling them along with them down the hallway, mindful of making them looks as worse for wear as possible, Yuzu can't decide if they are helping them, or just transporting them to an actual cell this time, but the memory of the almost too gentle voice of the tall guard somehow reassures her.

"Perry, open the door for us," ordered the tall one.

"Where are you taking the prisoners?" asked another person posted on what appeared to be a hidden back door exit.

"Torchwick ordered to add them to the cargo," responded the short one without missing a beat.

This Perry person tilted his head, but before he could question them further, there was a crashing sound coming from below, and then some screaming.

"Is it a raid?" asked the tall one.

"Probably. You guys should hurry though. The cargo leaves in less than an hour. Here's your clearance," said Perry, handing them a passcode card before hurrying on the opposite side of the hallway, weapon in hand.

Once they were outside in an alley, she looked at the short guard pulling a non-descriptive handle from which a black blade was born. For a terrible minute or two, Yuzu truly feared that they were going to be disposed of, earlier threats still hanging in her mind.

But when she felt her hand free of the handcuffs, she finally understood.

"Why are you helping us?" she heard Sawatari ask while rubbing his wrist. They looked pinkish, while her skin was slightly peeling off.

As a manner of response, the tall one removed his mask, revealing a harsh but still young face with some feathery blue and greenish hair, and the golden eyes glaring at her as if expecting some reaction. She didn't know what to do about it. The hostility engraved on his face made her a little wary of his temper.

"You are not her," he heard him say after a moment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter could as well be called: Everyone gets confused, even Torchwick. 
> 
> Well next chapter is gonna be the conclusion of this mess (and heck it's long) and then an epilogue, so be tuned up for the rest :D


	18. 17.- Our Bleeding Hearts

_'You are not her.'_

What in the world did he mean by that? Ruri had never before seen this person in her entire life, and she would remember because he was definitely the type of person who stood out against the crowds. Not in a manner of good looks or outlandish ways, but in his mere presence. It was the type of person who always made themselves known.

The type of person that would make her suspicious in two seconds, whether he was armed or not.

"I believe this is a …misunderstanding," he started. "Would it be fine if we lower our weapons at the same time?"

 _'Sure, let him think that,'_ she thought, lowering the gun, but relieved that she still felt her knife inside her clothing. Once he tucked his knife at his waist, she heard a groan and remembered that there was still a fight going on behind them.

There, in between his feet the quick-on-his-feet-boy laid before her, along with a ornate-looking staff, he groaned a little more before squinting his eyes open, looking first at her …companion? But then, when his eyes landed on her, he quickly seemed to forget about his pain and sprinted back to his feet.

"Yuzu!" For a moment, she feared he was going to glomp her, but a hand was put on his chest before he could.

"Yuya, it's not her," he heard the tall boy say to him, and she saw how the other one practically bristled at the contact, and flapped his hand away. Once he got a good look at her, his energy seemed to deflate and the glint in his eyes died a little.

But this time, it was like it was her who was blasted with something almost forgotten: recognition. He was older definitely, and the eye shape and the nose also seemed different in a way, but people change as they got older, right? It had been so long that she couldn't scratch the chance that it was him.

_'Yuto.'_

"Do we…Do we know each other?" She still wouldn't allow herself to feel too hopeful just yet though.

∞

Hokuto barely evaded another explosive bullet with a roll.

_'Before we split, there's something I'd like to remind you all.'_

Before the grunt could fire at Masumi again, he found himself electrifying him.

_'The people involved are down to earth business people.'_

He winced as he felt a sharp pain on his chin, bringing him to his knees. It opened up a perfect opening for the pair of newly arrived female attackers at that moment.

_'If you get into their way, they will not hesitate to attack you; kill you even.'_

"So sloppy. Where did these brats came from, Melanie?" the one dressed in red spoke.

"I think they're Beacon's kids, Miltia. Shall we teach them a lesson?" said the white-garbed one.

He blocked the claw-like weapons of the red one, but the white one continued, making him lose his footing.

_'They are not going to go soft on you because you're ki-students, not even for pity.'_

He felt a sharp pain in his back, product of the red one's attack no doubt. This time, he could feel how it almost went through his Aura.

From the corner of his eye, he looked at Crow, still engaging the bowler hat guy into a fight. It seemed to be even, and he couldn't even tell if they were going all out. He then looked at Gongenzaka, still fending off both regular-looking guards and a couple of masked ones.

_'They will not hesitate to kill you, ever. So I suggest you to return the favor.'_

"So be it," he whispered to himself, but the twins apparently heard him because they tilted their heads and frowned. "Why don't you let _me_ teach you a lesson?"

He then pointed first at Red and her claw-like weapons, and then at the White one to her heels.

Both of them caught on fire and pulverized after a few seconds.

"Lesson one: let's see how well you hold yourselves unarmed," he found himself saying.

Then he used his whip-blade mode to grab the White one's legs, dragging her to him. He sent shock after shock of lightning Dust to her very nerves.

When he saw the Red one cower a little at this display, he still didn't deter and delivered a stab strong enough to make her Aura waver and slashed through her back.

"Now we're even," he spat.

∞

"You planned this," said the now unmasked guard.

"No, I was sure this time it would be her," retorted the other one.

" _She is a human_." Each word was emphasized. "I don't know how you missed that."

"Exactly, don't you find it suspicious? Look, even with the hair and eyes she still looks a lot like-"

"Don't you dare say it."

"So are you still just going to deny it? After what happened in Mistral?"

"Right, I'm the one in denial. Just tell me this: can you look in my eyes and say you weren't going to let them go either way? Even if she wasn't there?" Now this one was pointing at Yuzu again, while the short one just looked away, giving away the answer even to Sawatari. "I can't believe you. Are you still on it again? After of what they've done? You're hopeless."

"What have these two done? They are our age Shun! They were defenseless. You have to stop generalizing-"

"I would hardly call them defenseless. They were armed Yuto! The Lieutenant is already on us, and now you go and pull this?"

As the squabble continued, Sawatari found himself scurrying away from them and going next to Yuzu, who still had her face caked with dried blood and a black eye; otherwise, she looked fine.

"Somehow it feels like …we're intruding right?" he found himself saying.

"This entire night has felt like we just keep… walking into things we shouldn't have," she responded.

"So can we just like go?" he asked, and as soon as he asked there was a crashing sound from above them. They both saw how another masked guard fell from the second floor in between them.

Then a spinning luminous figure jumped right after it, and as Sawatari recognized it, he thought it was the most beautiful sight of the day, more than any weird singing fairy.

The way Masumi's blade clashed against the black one from the still masked guard almost took her breath away.

For a moment, the blade wavered and then it became longer and jagged, as the masked man met her blow with equal strength.

He was strong, there was no doubt about that, but his slashes and parries were unpolished, sloppy and she had almost no trouble blocking each of them.

She heard the other White Fang guard yell something that sounded like _'I knew it!'_ and went to attack Yuzu and Sawatari, both of whom were still unarmed, with a weirdly shaped bayonet.

Her panic translated into taking a blow to her mid-side and almost got another one coming to her chest, but she ducked and aimed at his face.

Their blades were engaged again, but she felt steadier when she noticed that the attack of the other one had been blocked by Gongenzaka.

They wouldn't have to worry about these nuances once Yuzu and Sawatari joined them.

But the distraction cost her. She suddenly felt herself being pushed to the ground and having the blade – which returned to being the size of a long dagger – to her throat.

Above, her assailant wasn't even paying attention to her.

"Don't move, or your friend will have it!" he yelled and was surprised to hear how boyish his voice sounded, then he looked back at her.

Next to them, Gongenzaka was currently choke-holding his partner, and it was only now that Masumi noticed that he was unmasked. It surprised her to see a face most definitely not older than her own struggling against it.

What made the scene more surprising was how Yuzu was gripping his arm, trying to make him drop the attack. Sawatari wasn't doing or saying anything, but he wasn't attacking anyone either.

"Guys! Please listen to us! They were helping us escape! They weren't trying to hurt us! Gongenzaka drop him, please!"

"Listen to her and fold back your weapon. I don't want to hurt you," he said through gritted teeth. It was at this point that Masumi noticed there was something eerily …familiar on that voice, coupled with the familiarity of what was visible of his face and his overall build.

She folded her weapon …back into pistol mode and fired an ice bullet at the mask plate.

It froze over and shattered over her and she felt herself being thrown away in the opposite direction of her friends, but it mattered not because she'd seen it: his face.

"Yuya?" She heard both Yuzu and Gongenzaka confirm whatever doubts she had left.

∞

"You said that you had found her," Reiji told him, barely containing his annoyance.

"I said that I found something suspicious," Yuya responded, almost screaming and he had to force himself not to shush him too.

"Which was the same as saying: 'I've found them.' Genius. You were the one saying that we should stick to our business," responded Yaiba in his place.

Reiji watched them for a couple more seconds before trying to think of a way out of this without being completely suspicious, or without leaving the girl in here at the mercy of any more White Fang captors who would undoubtedly come their way once they noticed that eight of them were missing.

And then there was the girl, who apparently, after confirming that Yuya wasn't whoever she had confused him with, had gone terribly quiet and pensive. Maybe it was the mirroring meeting, or the low lighting of the place or the adrenaline or a combination of all of them, but he could swear that from certain angles, she could practically be Yuzu's sister; maybe a double.

Her magenta eyes and sloppily dyed blond hair – which she had not retouched it in quite a while as he got to see roots of much darker hair – helped clear his mind once his eyes adjusted to the dark, but the resemblance was still there.

This was easily shaping to be the weirdest day of his life.

"Now thanks to you, Sawatari and Yuzu could still be in danger!"

"What was th-"

"I found them!" said a voice from the entrance of the warehouse. In no time they found themselves surrounded by a dozen of White Fang members who had their guns pointed at them.

"You really have been a thorn in our side for the entire operation. Surrender yourself and we won't hurt your friends," barked one of them.

Very well, so now they were involved whether they wanted it or not.

"How appropriate for you to mingle with these humans, especially with _him_ ," another feminine voice snapped, pointing her gun exclusively at him, meaning she recognized him. That was not good news at all.

The girl who they had been speaking to kept quiet at their accusations, but given the way she remained with her back against the wall, a curiously crafted knife in her hands looking at all the present people with equal amounts of wariness it was obvious they couldn't trust her either.

But then he felt it, the shift on the atmosphere as a fist punched a bump of considerable size in the container next to Yuya.

"Shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up…" he continued to repeat his voice coming down in more of a hiss as it went.

"Yuya? What is the matter?" asked Yaiba, nearing him and grabbing his shoulder.

He watched as Yuya slowly turn around and grab Yaiba's hand just to throw him to the other side of the warehouse where Reiji could no longer make out his form; only a thud was heard. It was enough confirmation for him.

" **I TOLD YOU TO SHUT UP!!!** "

Every little deflect of the subject, ignored question, shared looks and outright lying had him suspect about something like this, and he finally received his confirmation.

One of the White Fang members stepped forward and made a challenging gesture. This was a mistake in Reiji's eyes, since he himself had to squash the urge to run and hide from this person that could hardly be called Yuya anymore.

In an almost impossible graceful gait, Yuya was on him in no time. The twin blades of his weapon unfolded and his eyes all but glinted in the dark.

"You should run," he warned the girl still behind him. "He will take care of them. You should get out of here before more of them show up."

True to his assessment, the girl didn't waste time or words on him. She simply dashed for the nearest exit. Reiji wished that they would never have to meet again, or at least not in such circumstances.

A shriek drew his attention back to the brawl. No, it couldn't be called that when it was purely one-sided.

The only thing that made him capable of following this Yuya's movements was the glint of his red eyes in the dark, as he stabbed – through arms –

Slashed – to backs and chests –

And pierced – through someone's shoulder –

Through each one of the enemies in his way, not one moment did he use his semblance nor any Dust as far as he could tell.

There was no glowing on his body, no falling of used up cartridges. There was nothing remotely humane or refined about his attacks.

It was like watching a predator sinking its fangs on its prey. It was almost enthralling to watch.

Reiji plunged in the shadows to retrieve Yaiba from the other side when he was thrown. He found him already trying to get back on his feet, but looking dazed.

"Yaiba, I need your assistance."

∞

This couldn't be happening.

Somewhere, at some point, Gongenzaka would wake up from this nightmare. It certainly had all the elements of being one: one of his dearest friends couldn't be reached, he was forced to break the law, _repeatedly_ , he had to deal with a well-known high profile criminal, and bear the thought that he had dared to hurt Yuzu, and worse of all, he was now staring at a dimly lit and watered down Faunus doppelgänger of his other best friend.

For the always sensible and down-to-earth Gongenzaka, it just couldn't be real. He hadn't even noticed he had loosened his grip on the other guard until he saw him hurry to his companion.

"Yuto!" he yelled, stepping in between this 'Yuto' – It was a joke right? – and them, but there was no danger for them. They were all too busy trying to make sense of what they were seeing.

They all snapped into sense when they heard the police sirens already parking in the surrounding areas of the club, though.

"We have to fetch Crow," said Masumi, who was the first one at least trying to look composed.

"But, they….he…" started Yuzu, never tearing her eyes from the Yuto boy.

"You said they helped you, right?"

Both she and Sawatari just nodded.

"HEY! You kids shouldn't be out here. This is a raid. We're closing the street! "

Gongenzaka saw how the Faunus boys were trying to scurry away, but it was a dead-end alley; nowhere to run. When the more panicked they looked, he realized why: their masks were off, but the uniforms where still very distinctly belonging to the White Fang, then there was also the issue of the injured guard near them.

But in one blink, he saw how the sight of them, vanished.

"Didn't you kids hear me? You have to evacuate!" he ordered, now closer to them. He looked like he wished he was anywhere but there.

"Our friend here needs medical aid, I think he has a broken rib," said Yuzu stepping forward.

“Y-yes and this one needs medical assistance as well, he tried to attack us and-” started Sawatari

“Things got out of hand.” Finished Masumi

"Ugh, just what I needed. Fine, wait here," he said, going back to the now gathering crowd at the front, barking something about meddlesome kids playing the hero, and requesting an ambulance.

When he was out of sight, the illusion was dropped and there they were again, still uniformed and still hostile looking, but something akin to gratefulness was edging on them as they spoke to Masumi.

"Thank you," said the Yuto guy – most definitely not Yuya.

"Don't mention it. I guess we're even now right?" she questioned, and they just nodded in agreement, but one of the tall one's stood up and eyed her.

"By any chance is your family name Koutsu? Like ‘luminous haven’?" he asked.

Masumi looked properly taken aback but tried to school it. "Yes, indeed."

"Just before, you can…Can you see in the dark?" he asked.

"It's because of my semblance. I can control the light spectrum, like I did just now. It helps me differentiate objects in the dark too," she answered cautiously, clearly not liking the direction this was taking.

Gongenzaka wasn't sure what to think about it either. Masumi's semblance was both external and elemental, and not sensorial, so it shouldn't affect or enhance her eyesight in the slightest, and it didn't look like the Faunus boys believed her either as they exchanged puzzled looks.

"…I suppose. Well good riddance," he said as they passed by her.

"Wait, how did you know my family name?" she asked in a small voice and decidedly not looking at them.

"You mentioned Crow before, right? If this is the same one we know off, you should ask him," they said before hurrying away.

∞

"Are you sure this is going to work? Maybe you should stick to a simple one." He heard Reiji ask.

"I'm telling you, it's fine. I've been practicing and the smaller they are, the stronger the effect and the longer I can make them last," he snapped.

"Very well." And in good time they came to an agreement, because Yuya – or not-Yuya, he wasn't sure anymore – was finishing off the last White Fang member, and he watched him raise his head almost as if he was sniffing something in the air. He then released a growl, an actual guttural beast-like growl.

Yaiba so didn't sign up for this, but he was in too deep already.

As he concentrated on his limbs, he put all of his remaining energy on the four glyphs and aimed them at Yuya's wrists and legs.

A minute later, they were now dealing with an as-good-as-tied-up Yuya, growling and trashing around, but even with this new monstrous strength, he wasn't strong enough to break free from them. Yaiba allowed himself to feel proud about it.

"How long can your glyphs rewind back in time?" asked Reiji.

"My longest mark is nine minutes, but seven minutes will do for this to work." Or so he hoped. "Mmmh, you know rewinding time won't fix this mess, right? It will only affect Yuya" he said,looking over at the injured Faunus still on the ground.

"I'm aware, but they attacked first," Reiji said without a drop of regret.

∞

"Seriously, do you people have nothing better to do than annoy me?" he heard Torchwick yell as he ducked behind yet another booth in the place.

"I don't think Gallagher is gonna take kindly to what you're doing to his precious club, you know," said Crow, gleefully ignoring his question.

He then fired another grenade, which successfully seemed to pull him out of his hiding place.

He changed his weapon from the canyon to the halberd mode, and charged against the thief again.

He tried to give him the advantage this time with an opening, but he was either too dumb or too proud to take it.

And by this time, he could already hear the sirens, so he opted to disarm him and kick him in the gut mid-air for the trouble.

Torchwick went to land behind the bar with the entire corbel of glasses falling on top of him.

He looked around to search for Hokuto, who had done an amazing job at keeping the grunts busy, and he found him fighting a White Fang member who was at least twice his size.

He had to intervene as he recognized that cackle. He was playing around with Hokuto.

"You're surrounded and the police are on the way. This is your last chance to tell us what you're doing with this scum." He knew better than anyone how low the White Fang had stooped, but they weren't that low just yet, or so he hoped.

"Fancy of you to be here, aiding the enemy no less," said the grunt, lifting his arms. "How's Ozpin by the way? Are you still kissing the ground he steps on? Or maybe wiping his-" Since he obviously had no intentions of speaking kindly, Crow delivered a blow to his neck. Well, it was his loss.

"So crude of you, and in front of a kid, Damon," he spoke.

Hokuto had yet to say a thing, but he looked at him as if he had just met him and then bowed.

"I apologize, I had the wrong idea about you," he told him.

"Ok, ok. You're gonna make me blush. Let's go outside to look for the others."

He also needed to talk to the police, to Glyn and Ozpin. It was going to be a long night.

∞

"DROP YOUR WEAPON AND RAISE YOUR HANDS!"

So this is how it would end? After all her work, her enduring, the hope and the insults, this is all her life would attain for? A prisoner, once again. She did as she was told while swallowing bitter sobs down her chest.

She forced down the tears and the need to beg for her freedom. She would never do it; not in front of her captors.

One of the police officers, the one that looked like the chief, got near her and looked closely at her. After a moment, he pulled his scroll out.

"Get in touch with VPD headquarters and inform the Sergeant we've found her."

 _'VPD?'_ As in Vale? If this wasn't Mistral, then where had they wanted to take her?

∞

"This is so embarrassing," Hokuto said as they all waited outside the police department like Crow told them. They were waiting for Glynda to show up, all while Crow talked to the Sergeant.

He had felt like that when Crow had told them that since they were still minors, and Crow was not yet a tenured professor, they needed one of the other Professors, if not Ozpin himself, to pick them up from the station.

Yuzu felt so drained that she couldn't really care less.

"Not the moment, Hokuto," said Yaiba, still looking at the night sky as if expecting answers from it. So she wasn't the only one.

"Agreed," said just about everyone in unison. Reiji was the only one who didn't say a word, but he may as well have the word engraved on his forehead.

"Are you ever going to fill me in on what happened? You guys look like you've seen a ghost or something from out of this world."

"Might as well," said Masumi. "But it's a long story, and this so not the place to discuss it," she added.

"You, however, will have to fill me on it," stated Glynda, coming out from a black and elegant-looking car.

They all stood upright at her, including herself even if she knew she looked like hell. As if agreeing with her, she felt her remaining barrette fall into the ground.

She didn't bother picking it up. She could buy ten of those with a red lien.

"Miss Hiragi, be so kind and retrieve Professor Hogan from the Sergeant's office. I need to discuss some serious matters with him before anything else." Looked like they weren't the only ones in for a lecture then.

Once inside she found Crow – somehow it felt weird to call him Professor after all of this – already on his way out. She passed next to an officer escorting a blond girl with her head so low it was the only thing Yuzu could make out of her appearance, on their way to the interrogation camera it seemed. She made way for them and then she felt the brush of someone's wrist.

She found herself exchanging looks with pair of glassy magenta eyes that stared past her own as if she wasn't really there. Still, Yuzu was able to feel the same exhaustion - both physical and emotional - oozing from her.

Yuzu stopped in her tracks to stare at her figure then, feeling something deep in her chest tugging at her so deeply that she felt like sinking to her knees. She was brought back to earth by a hand on her shoulder.

"Let's go, Miss Hiragi. This isn't a place for kids," said Crow behind her.

Then why was that girl there? Handcuffed and escorted like a criminal? And from the corner of her eyes, she noticed Crow staring at the same scene too, with a tinge of sadness in his eyes.

∞

Inside the interrogation room, there was already someone waiting for her. The person was a middle aged man with scruffy white hair – like really white hair, not gray – small tinted specs and a green suit that fitted him like a glove.

He motioned for her to take a seat, but she didn't move and just stared at him with what she knew were probably really tired and puffy eyes.

The man seemed to understand the message and walked around the table, mindful of not getting too close and spoke:

"Hello, Miss Kurosaki it has been a long time. Remember me?" She heard him say, no she didn’t knew who he was, but his voice was familiar.

∞

"Yuzu Hiragi and Shingo Sawatari, I want to speak to you privately before the Headmaster arrives."

They both walked in without the slightest protest in them. It made Yuya bristle to think about how much Yuzu, and even to extent Sawatari, had been hurt.

"This was the longest day of my life," he heard Yaiba complain, slumping on the bench outside Glynda's office. She had assured them that they weren't in trouble …or at least not for the time being until Professor Ozpin arrived from some 'important duties' he had to attend.

Now if Yuya could just shake the feeling that both Reiji and Yaiba were stealing glances at him every few minutes or so, and forget this entire day ever happened that would be great.

He had been a little disappointed that their excursion to the piers had not resulted in Yuzu and Sawatari retrieval. Instead, he had found a girl that was eerily similar to Yuzu. Except that unlike her, she seemed to be all temper and none of the patience since, on Reiji and Yaiba's account, they had witnessed the girl throwing him to the White Fang people who in turn had beat him down.

Of course, Yuya knew that was a lie. He didn't have the memories, but he could always feel _it_ simmering down the surface whenever _it_ had just sprung free.

But like most unpleasant things, Yuya didn't want to think about it. Nor did he want to think about the way Yaiba seemed too wary of coming less than three steps from him, or how he almost jumped when he tried to ask him about the time.

Really, it was just a matter of time before it was out in the open. A part of Yuya had always known it would.

∞

"…And that's what happened until Gongenzaka and Masumi found us," she heard Yuzu say in a toned down voice that didn't fit the upbeat, temperamental girl she had seen during most of the semester.

"Anything to add, Mr. Sawatari?" she asked, now to the also unusually quiet boy next to her.

"Actually, yes I want to add something," he answered, barely lifting his eyes to meet hers. "I'll take any responsibility for what happened today and I'd like to request a… dismissal," he said.

"From your team?" she asked feeling her furrowing her brow.

"From Beacon," he corrected.

"What?! No!" yelled Yuzu, practically hopping from her seat. "You can't be serious! What about your team? Your goal?"

"In that order? They don't need me that much was made clear tonight. Second; haven't I told you already to not pity me? As if I wouldn't have second career choices and …it has become pretty obvious as well that I'm just not cut out for this life," he said, no doubt trying to sound flippant, but failing at it.

"I know… I know that you think that but… then…. what about your friends?"

"You mean you? Calm down will you? Is not like we can't remain in contact afterwards right?"

"That's not what I mean! What about Masumi, and Hokuto and Yaiba! You can't just bail out on them!"

"Weren't you listening to me, I-"

"I believe that what Miss Hiragi is saying here is that you made a choice and now you can't just decide you don't want to follow through with it because things aren't going the way you want them to." Just to be sure, she checked to see if the girl had any objection, but she just nodded eagerly.

"You mean I have to stay hoping that things will be different if I 'try hard enough?' So I can get the life sucked out of me? Like that worked so well for you."

It was like opening a dam. Apparently forgetting all about proper behavior, they started to discuss, accuse and vent some …really worrying matters.

Still, she waited until they both looked like they had gotten out everything they wanted.

"…You can't possibly know what it feels like to be left out! Everyone here is half in love with you, even my team mates like you better than me!" yelled Sawatari.

That seemed to leave Miss Hiragi speechless so she took her chance.

"I believe this is bigger than the two of you. I will need to speak to both teams."

∞

"Are you implying that this is all my fault?!" yelled Yuya.

"I do not _imply_ things," responded Reiji, adjusting his glasses. It was an innocent enough gesture that just managed to make him look plain smug.

Before anyone could blink, there was a red and green dash and next Yuya had toppled Reiji off his seat with him straddling him and one fist held above.

"Go ahead, punch me if it will ease the guilt. You'll just prove me right," the pitch of his voice changing just slightly.

"You little…" He went for the punch, and would have probably pulled Reiji a couple teeth, if Gongenzaka hadn't stopped him.

"Yuya for heaven's sake, calm down," he tried to say, worried that something else may come afloat, but to his surprise, Yuya actually heeded and he felt his taut arm relax in his hold.

Once they were all standing again, Yuya looked at Reiji with an almost …hateful look.

"This is all your fault, you know? If you hadn't walked in, then nothing would have changed and Yuzu wouldn't have had the need to stay away from us all the time," he accused.

Gongenzaka couldn't believe his ears, and as he looked at Yuya, he realized he wasn't just being spiteful. He actually believed it.

"Yuya, whatever was bothering Yuzu, you… you can't possibly think that you have nothing to be sorry for. Reiji sure does, and I'm far from being innocent as well."

Before anyone could talk, the door opened and Glynda's voice called for all of them to come inside.

Masumi just heeded. She had spent the entire argument in a faraway place in her mind, which she was currently revisiting and fact checking.

There was nothing out of place as usual. She was just being paranoid.

"Miss Koutsu and Mr. Akaba. I called you in, because there are some situations in your teams that need solving."

"Does that mean we can go?" asked Hokuto.

"No you can't. It concerns _all_ of you, but I'm speaking directly to the team leaders, hoping for answers and solutions," said the Professor.

It was now that Masumi noticed how unusually subdued both Yuzu and Sawatari looked. She had chalked it off to the scare before, but right now, she could tell it had nothing to with that. Neither of them wanted to meet anyone's eyes and they had sunken shoulders.

"Can you tell me why it is that it was needed for your teammates to be in possibly life endangering position for you to work together?" quested Glynda, cutting to the chase.

A silence fell over the office, but it didn't last as Yuya, Hokuto and Yaiba started to argue all over each other. Even Masumi didn't catch a word over the onslaught, but she caught sight of Yuzu wincing and looking beyond tired and as if she was trying very hard not to cover her ears.

"All of you shut up!" She found herself saying. "Yuzu, what's wrong?"

"Miss Koutsu I would like for you to limit yourself to speak when it comes to your team and _your_ partner." She heard Glynda say with an icy tone.

"It's ok Professor, Masumi um…" She looked at Sawatari as if asking permission, who just nodded. "He requested for a dismissal from Beacon."

Masumi swallowed once, then twice in an effort to not lose it and demand an explanation from him.

"So… I guess Hokuto won the bet," said Yaiba with a grin. He wasn't serious, of course. He was just trying to soften the blow, and Masumi knew that, Hokuto knew that, Yaiba sure as hell knew it, but no one else did, not even Sawatari.

And as she looked at the agape mouths of everyone in the room, even Reiji had blinked a couple of times at this. In that moment, she realized for the first time how awful is must have looked from the outside.

"I… was just um…" Yaiba attempted, apparently reaching the same conclusion as her. Hokuto looked more annoyed than anything, but she noticed a hint of embarrassment on his eyes.

"Sawatari, you are my partner. We were together in LDS…" But only because they were both with Marco as teacher, she thought bitterly after she helped him to unlock his Aura. She even taught him how to operate his gloves. She had spent every minute reminding him that she was the one stuck with him and that he was a dead weight. "I never…I have never considered your feelings on the matter, and almost never credited you for anything, and I encouraged the same attitude with them." She struggled to meet their gazes, but an understanding passed through them. "For this…I'm sorry. I know it doesn't even begin to cut it but …if you are willing to give us another chance… we can't start over, that's silly, but if you think you can't, we'll understand," she finished.

"Yeah I mean, we can be a pain in the butt half of the- ugh never mind that, most of the time, we're used to it. But... we didn't have any right to treat you the same and..." Yaiba seemed to struggle for words.

"We shouldn't have forced you into our rhythm, at least... not without asking first or even trying to get along before anything," finished Hokuto, decidedly not looking at his teammate face.

The Sawatari boy seemed so surprised to hear those words. Even Glynda was touched by their sentiment. The boy deflated a little after probably remembering his entire stay at Beacon. Looking down at his lap - his hands, his weapon - and with a voice barely above a whisper he spoke,

"I… think I need to sleep on it," she heard him say. It really was the best she could expect.

"Very well. Since that has been talked out, I will need for you to allow Mr. Sawatari to get some much needed rest because of his injuries, and since his scroll is busted again, and we have yet to receive the confirmation from his parents, you will have to escort him to the dorm."

Glynda watched them all leave the office, but not before Masumi looking back at Yuzu, for just a moment.

"And…?" questioned Glynda to the guys once they were left alone.

"Uh, yes?" asked Yuya.

"I'm still waiting for an answer, Mr. Sakaki," she said drumming her fingers on the table. "And an explanation for why you were about to assault Mr. Akaba right outside my office would be nice as well."

"I – that had nothing to do with Yuzu. She is not at fault for it, and it's just something that happens…" he tried.

"At least we agree on one thing," she commented while adjusting her glasses. She then grabbed Yuzu's file from her desk drawers, pulling out one paper in particular "Maybe this will help put things into perspective," she said, sliding the paper to them.

It was her schedule, or at least what it was supposed to be in a perfect world that had more than twenty-four hours per day.

As all three of them passed it among themselves – first Reiji, then Gongenzaka and then Yuya – Yuzu continued to sink in her own seat, as if ashamed of her own perceived stupidity. Above everything, the confused then scandalized look on their faces confirmed Glynda's suspicions.

"Yuzu… why did you feel the need to do …this?" asked Gongenzaka, who had paled up a little bit. "Is this why I never see you in the dorm until curfew time?"

"…Or why you were never available after classes? Not even for lunch?"

"…"

"People can do crazy things when the other alternative is alternating her time between her friends and her partner, playing nanny when they act like little children, or argue over who is right and who isn't, while constantly getting caught in the middle of it all," Glynda supplied.

"Yuzu... Is this how you feel?" asked Yuya, with his voice close to breaking.

"Maybe …just a little," she admitted, avoiding his eyes. "But I'm also at fault here. I was too soft-hearted to take a side whenever you guys needed a third party, so instead I chose to avoid you like a coward. I even sneaked out of classes for it and whatever happened, I have every bit of responsibility for it. I caused so many problems for all of you and…"

"You don't have to apologize for-" started Reiji.

"Yes I do. I put everyone into danger-" She tried but stopped when Reiji put a hand on her shoulder and fixed.

"Let me finish, please." He waited for her approval and continued. "I mean…what happened to you and Sawatari was an unfortunate set of events, but everything before that, what led you to try and get some time for yourself it was our responsibility. Even if it was not our intention we forced you into the role, and as such I...failed to live up to my leadership tasks."

"But I don't mind helping you guys. If I just had tried a-"

"Reiji is right, Yuzu. I the man Gongenzaka failed you as a friend as well. Even when I noticed that there was something off with you, I deluded myself into thinking that there was nothing too big for you to handle. I thought it was the rightful thing to do, that maybe it would embarrass you if I asked directly. I convinced myself that if you had serious troubles, you would always come to me or Yuya, but we failed to reassure you of it, and made you forget. I myself forgot," he said, spilling some tears.

Before Yuzu could say anything else, she was swooped into a tight hug by Yuya.

"Yuya? It's not that bad, I-"

"No, look, you know I'm not good at expressing myself, but I'm sorry. Like, I'm really, really sorry. I've broken the promise I made to you. I said I could become a person you could depend on too, but words are easy, and it was even easier to slip back into the same routine we had before. I'm always used to you and Gongenzaka chasing after me, and the moment I felt like you guys were slipping away, that I had to share you, to chase you instead, I got angry at Ozpin, at you guys, at myself and I… ended up hurting you."

When they finally split, Yuzu was tearing up as well. She was smiling, however, so Glynda could call this a success of sorts.

"If there is something I'd like to add, it is that if there is something you were at fault here, Miss Hiragi, it is that you thought you had to shoulder everything. You didn't want to bother anyone by asking for help and you chose to deal with it on your own. Maybe it was out of habit," she said, eyeing Yuya. "And I do not wish to sound over my head, but you – and this goes for all of you – didn't have to choose a side. There are _no_ sides. You are _one team_."

“Y-yes I know,” she said wiping away her tears, “I- I also need to stop thinking that I can fix everything myself, I… won’t forget I have friends again.” She finished looking far more composed.

All her teammates showed their support by holding her close – or in the case of Reiji placing a hand on her shoulder – and Glynda felt such a strong surge of… warmth? Nostalgia? That for a moment she thought that this night hadn’t been all that bad.

And then her scroll beeped; reading the message Glynda forced herself not to frown lest she worried the kids.

"…I shall consider this matter closed then. I've just been informed by the Headmaster that his business will keep him occupied all night long, and since he doesn't wish to keep you up, he will leave the matter to me."

"Understood," the four said.

"And Miss Hiragi, I took the liberty of updating the rules. From now on, you can only choose three elective courses, tops; with an addendum in the works about how two is the ideal number but that can wait. So choose wisely." Said Glyda, it had been a long time since a single student action demanded the creation of a new rule.

"Y-yes, mmm Professor…?" she asked, now her demeanor changing again. This time she seemed both worried but inquiring too.

"Yes?"

"About the …incident at the club. Did they ever found the motive? Are the people alright?" she asked.

"Yeah, and …what happened at the piers too?! Did they put out the fire? And what was the White Fang doing there anyway?" Yuya asked.

"…The White Fang?" asked both Yuzu and Gongenzaka at the same time, but they also exchanged a knowing look that basically translated to _'Later.'_

The fact that she wasn't the only one hiding the truth was a weird sort of relief, but they were kids, kids lie; she had no excuse.

"…I hope you understand why I can't share details like that with any of you," she responded. Before their faces fell completely she added, "…But it is sufficient to tell you that the emergency has been dealt with, along with a contingency plan for the Festival. You need not to worry," she said. Let them enjoy the comfort while it lasted, she thought.

"The Professor has a point. We are not hunters just yet, and we can't go throwing ourselves into danger again like this," Reiji spoke.

They all seemed to agree after the longest minute of her night.

As the door closed, Glynda tried to let herself enjoy this small victory, since she was now required to go back to the job.

Tomorrow would be a long day.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...And it will be a long day for everyone, not for you guys will have to wait because I decided to post this chapter and the Epilogue together (Not that the idea of torturing you guys wasn't tempting :P)
> 
> Thank you to my wonderful beta reader AnimeGirl 144, who waorked really hard to have both chapters in one day.


	19. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

"So are we positive it is her?" asked Crow, who continued to pace around the office.

"She has been undergoing some… malnourishment. Whoever her captor was, they seem to have tried to hide her by dying her hair. However, there is no doubt in my mind that this is her." She had been unwilling to name her captor though, claiming it to be pointless. Ozpin didn't press her.

"Damn it. Do they even know what human hair dye does to feathers? And then the city… When I get my hands on them…” He stopped talking to pass his hands through his hair. “How did this shit even come to happen? For so long? And right under our noses?" Crow spat.

Ozpin could share the sentiment. They were now dealing with a half-starved, detoxing, probably suffering PTSD, and still-growing teenager on their hands. He tightened the grip on his cane as he chose the words carefully when he spoke next,

"I think we may be dealing with a …leakage of information."

"You gotta be kidding me. What about the Hiragi girl? They know she's here now. What if they go after her? And Rin? Maybe I should go back to Mistral and relocate-"

"Crow, if they knew about Ruri, they probably knew about the others too. I doubt they are in any danger this time. They wouldn't be so foolish to try the same thing." He also had a feeling that whatever they wanted from them back then, they already had it.

"Then what are we dealing with?" he asked "Ugh, we were able to keep a couple of disappearances under wraps, but this will leak out, and then the city... I know it's better than to announce it through official sources but … this is crazy."

Yes, indeed it was but it had been Ruri’s request, one that would cause more troubles… but Ozpin had already caused her – to the four of them – enough sorrows

∞

"Reiji, can we talk?" requested Yuya, who had gone and waited for him to come out from the library.

"I suppose that's fine," he replied. _'Don't take it personally,'_ he told himself,  _'that's just how he is.'_  Or that's what Yuzu said, anyway.

"We need to talk about yesterday," he continued. "I know you know about…you know." Ugh, he hated this.

"…Yes I do, and so do you and your friends, I assume," he said. "How long has this been going on?"

"I don't remember all of them, but the first I do remember is …when we were told Mom was MIA," he admitted.

"I see. Does anyone else know about this?" he asked.

"No, it is kinda like our secret… Do you think that Yaiba…" He couldn't finish the sentence.

"I mentioned nothing. With luck, he will think it was a onetime thing …If you don't want to, I'll say nothing either. I know secrets can weigh heavy."

"Heavy?" he asked.

"…In your conscience?" he questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh! Right …yeah they are." Well this has officially turned awkward.

"You know, you don't have to feel like that," he spoke now. This had to be the longest he had heard him talk.

"Uh?"

"Like you're losing them? Yuzu and Gongenzaka. It's not a competition, and even if it were, you would win by a landslide."

"Did…you just made a joke?" It was official, he had seen everything.

"Did I?" he stated a little…baffled? No that couldn't be. "If you wish to take it like that is fine, but I meant that they talk about you a lot …all the time. You don't need to worry. I apologize if I ever communicated that."

"…Thanks, I meant it," he said feeling his mouth tug up a little.

"You're welcome. Can you carry these to the dorm? I need to use the comms?" he asked.

"Yeah, sure," he said shrugging. "Calling home?" he asked.

"Yes, to my brother. I'll be back in half an hour," he said, disappearing behind the doors again.

So Yuya walked probably, earning some curious looks as he walked, trying to balance the books on his head, then on his forehead, and he was thinking about trying to see if he could do it with his arms.

_'Wait, a brother?'_

∞

"We both suck at this, don't we?" she asked him, they had both run into each other in the library, time which they both took to fill the other on their end of the 'mission' – as well as the issue with Glynda – and when Masumi told her about the Yuya's Faunus double, he found himself telling her about the girl on the piers and her uncanny resemblance to Yuzu.

They were both at a loss for explanations.

After a long time, they had found a few books about doppelgangers, but they were all urban legends. They would need to talk about this sooner or later with all the others, but for now they needed some much needed time out.

"...Given the situation unfolded, yes that would be a correct assessment," he admitted. They had all been awfully quiet for the rest of the night and even now their exchanges were still clipped and forced. He should know, he was practically an expert on them.

"...I just feel so stupid, you know? I can't believe I let all that happen in front of my eyes, and let it slide," she complained. By this point, they had reached his classroom, but he knew the talk had yet to be over.

"I can relate. Sometimes warped things feel normal, because for you they are. Perspective can be hard to accept, but it is needed," he said, not really sure if he was managing to be remotely supportive.

"Talking from experience?" she asked.

"You could say that ...I noticed for a while about her, and I realized on some level that we were the source, but I was blinded by my pride. It was ...strange, wanting to be right about every little thing no matter what. It sounds ridiculous looking back." He had also not wanted to feel like an intruder. A part of him had felt it wasn't his place to say anything.

"Welcome to teenage stupidity. There will be loads of it for us in the future."

"...I suppose it was liberating too, not having to answer to anyone but myself. So I got carried away," he considered.

"Yeah, life without parents and chores is awesome, until it isn't anymore," she added. "Well, let's agree to try not to be idiots again, I guess." She turned her back on him then.

"Hey Reiji! Catch this!" he heard Masumi call out to him suddenly.

He barely caught the flying object before it hit him right on his glasses. It was a barrette; Yuzu's barrette.

"She dropped this last night. We don't have classes together until like Tuesday? Either way, will you give it to her?" she asked, nearing him at the exit of the classroom.

"Sure. So about your team…?" he attempted, pocketing the blue adornment. "Is it still together?"

"Yeah, we are. We talked some things out, and reached an agreement."

"That's good to hear. How is Sawatari's rib?"

"He's doing well, just another couple of days and it will be healed. If I knew he had that much Aura, I wouldn't have gone soft on him back at LDS."

"Oh, so that means you won't miss the tournament?"

"You would love that, wouldn't you? Less competition I guess, but you can keep dreaming. You'd better enter the tournament. It won't be the same if I don't get to kick your butt," she said, going on the other side, but she stopped at the last second.

"Hey, um you're still taking that Faunus course right, the one with Crow?" she asked. He nodded in answer. "Is it true that all Faunus can see in the dark?"

Before Reiji could answer though, there were loads of people emptying the classrooms and nearing the Amphitheatre.

“Hey didn’t you guys get the email? There will be a conference with the Headmaster.” Said Michio stopping next to them, truly both him and Masumi had been so concentrated that they missed it.

“About what exactly?” asked Masumi.

“Oh my, have you guys have been sleeping under a rock all day long?”

∞

"And now what? The cargo sailed without problems, but the police and maybe Ozpin is onto us now. And the girl is probably already with him," complained Torchwick to the hooded person in front of him.

"A minor setback. You don't need to worry about these details, just do what you are told. We hired you because we were told you were the best for the job."

"I am," he said, almost biting his tongue.

"Then prove it."

"Ugh fine. What about the girl then? Isn't she going to talk?" he asked.

"Yes, she will, she was a …messenger of sorts, if you will. It was just delivered early. After some minor adjustments, we will be ready to put things in motion."

"What message?" he questioned.

"If you turn on any kingdom's news stream, you'll find out for yourself."

Well, curiosity is crapshoot, isn't it? He thought, pulling out his scroll, and settled on the voice of the Atlas news reporter. News were boring, but at least she was hot.

It was a field report it seemed as she was in a helicopter overflying what on the distance appeared to be an abandoned settlement. But as the helicopter kept on lowering down, it became clear that it was not just a settlement: it was a city. A ghost city by the looks of it, because even from a distance, the lights were off, the streets looked empty and grey, and most important of all, the support CCT tower was smashed.

_"This is Melissa Claire corresponding reporting in live from Vacuo, with the coverage of the most choking news in years, maybe decades! Maybe it doesn't look like it, but I'm currently standing in the middle of what used to be one the oldest Faunus exclusive settlement on Vacuo: The Yollotl city, most commonly referred as Heartland._

_"_ _For those who may be hearing that name for the first time, this was one of the last thriving communities composed entirely of Faunus. Legend says that it was founded even before the Kingdoms themselves. Others say that it only existed after the end of the Great War. Sources are conflictive due to the reclusive nature of their inhabitants, especially after their veto on almost if not all human people to set foot into the city…"_

This was getting boring, so he skipped to the part that seemed the most commented on the site.

_"… One look at the deserted city and you could probably think that this city has been deserted for decades, maybe even more. There are no signs of life, and minus the CCT support tower, there are no obvious signs of destruction or death, but this is a live feed shared by one explorer from less than five years ago."_

A ten second and slanted video feed of the supposed same settlement, this time colorful and populated, was seen until it was apparently shut down by an officer shouting, 'No filming please.'

_"The source of this video has been kept anonymous for safety, but we can assure you that the legitimacy of the video has been proved by trusted experts. Now the question remains: What happened to this city? Where did the people go? Everything seems to point to a Grimm attack, right in the heart of one of humanity's safe heavens and experts agree, but there are some inconsistencies. Stay tuned for more after…"_

He changed the feed for the more familiar voice of Lisa Lavender on the Vale news report.

 _"…Over the next few days, we will continue to report about the 'Disappearance of Heartland' as it has already been dubbed by the internet community. However, we advise people to remember that the important part here is not the mystery. This is not a matter of race either. This is a time to demand for answers and show solidarity for our Faunus folk. Unfortunately, there has been news of new Faunus uprising all around Remnant. Stay tuned_ _information as it comes in...."_

They were all the same, even online. Every forum, chat and blog was discussing the subject. Some in solidarity, others were just in for the gossip and the morbidity. Others were amusingly misinformed as he passed a video of self-proclaimed survivor, and that was just the first page.

"Are you…really behind this? How…?" A concert crowd was one thing, but how did one manage to spirit away an entire city's population and without a trace? Without anyone noticing?

The hooded figure was practically radiating pride at his perplexity.

"You will receive your orders in the next few weeks. Don't fail us again, Torchwick," said the person, ignoring his question. Roman could hear the smile in their voice. "…The deposit was made already, so rejoice and spend it however you like. Oh, and we added a little bonus for the trouble and as a thank you for these…" he said, putting extreme care into safeguarding the piece of his clothes still with some blood on it, and the ridiculous barrette of that girl, with still some strands of hair in its clip.

∞

_"…there has been news of a new Faunus uprising all around Remnant. Stay tuned for more information as it comes in."_

Silence reigned over the Amphitheatre as the numerous news reports from all the kingdoms and known settlements sunk down in their heads. At least half of the people in the room already knew about them. It was all that was talked about, both on TV and online. Others seemed to have been the oblivious type, who only got to hear news if they were Remnant-wide important.

As such was the case of the Disappearance of Heartland.

"… I know all of you must be filled with questions," Glynda spoke once the feed was over. "However, as all available news reports have said, there are no clues and no perpetrator with the motive, lest of all the means for such a wide-scale …event." And just like that, the murmurs filled the room.

"Isn't this a crime? …A genocide?"

"Don't be stupid, didn't you hear Melissa? There were no bodies left. It must have been a Grimm attack."

"In the heart of the Vacuo Kingdom? How could no one notice then? For years?"

"Maybe they were hiding it? You know, trying to keep people from panicking?"

"Then why now? And with the Festival right around the corner?"

"If the government can't explain everything, maybe even they didn't know."

"Well, Melissa did say that the city was in a voluntary semi-isolation state."

"Please, where could they have gotten clean water and food in the middle of nowhere? Isolation is one thing, but self-sufficient? Not even Atlas has achieved such state."

"They were Faunus, right? My parents say they can live in a more wild-like environment than us."

The banter continued for several minutes until faint thumps from a cane were heard and everyone went quiet as Headmaster Ozpin neared the podium.

"If I may have your attention," instructed the Headmaster. "From this day on, you are going to hear a lot of theories, assumptions and talk about Heartland and as such… status about Faunus’ Civil Rights." He allowed them a full minute to take on the implication, but before more discussion exploded again, he continued. "And make no mistake, such discourse cannot – and should not - be separated from what happened in Vacuo. If anything, I will ask you one thing: rather than take sides, pay close attention to what you hear about this event, for even the most inane opinions from the most inane sources will serve as a reflection of the current standing of the Faunus population in Remnant."

More silence ensued and the Headmaster retired from the mic, and this time Professor Crow was the one to speak up.

"As a show of …solidarity and respect for Vacuo and the disappeared people from Heartland, I'd like to announce that the Vytal Festival will be delayed for six months in order to allow both attention and resources to be used on the case. I understand some of you will be disappointed, but let us remember the true meaning of the Festival on which it was founded: Unity and Peace. How could we possibly honor that when we do not take the time to reflect when such principles are challenged?" The question was met with silence and faint murmurs.

Lastly, it was Professor Glynda who took the mic once again.

"I expect you to take into consideration the suggestion of your headmaster and professor. In order for you be allowed to take all of it in, classes are canceled for the rest of the day," she announced, adjusting her glasses.

"That will be all. You are all dismissed."

.

.

.

**TO BE CONTINUED**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let's all pretend that there were some really cool credit sequence and with music okies?
> 
> And that is the conclusion of this Volume, I hope you guys enjoyed it as much as I suffered writing it.
> 
> Don't worry I already have some extra stories meant to be set between the Volumes with a bonus of a backstory, and I already have the outline for the first half of the Vol 2.


End file.
